Hilbert's problems

High school (ages 12+)
Mathematics & Numbers

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/hilbert-s-problems

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the number of problems?23
2. What is the year presented?1900
3. What were Hilbert's 23 puzzles about?They were 23 very hard math puzzles that covered many areas like number theory, algebra, geometry, and logic, and Hilbert thought they were key for future math.
4. Why did Hilbert give these problems to mathematicians in 1900?He wanted to give mathematicians a clear direction for research and to encourage them to work together, like a call to arms for the math community.

Formalism: A philosophy of mathematics that views mathematics as the manipulation of symbols according to formal rules.
Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems: Theorems showing that in any consistent formal system, there are true statements that cannot be proven within the system.
Diophantine Equation: A polynomial equation, usually with integer coefficients, for which only integer solutions are sought.