Quiz for Prince of Patterns, Math Cyclops: Gauss and Euler (for short course bc copy weird)

What is 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10?

Ask your parents if they can solve Gauss’ problem: 1+2+3+4+5+6+…+ 100 (meaning, add up every number up to 100): They will struggle, while you will know that the answer is

Solve a problem more difficult than Gauss’ problem: 1+2+3+4+5+6+…+ 1000=

When Carl Friedrich Gauss was a 7 year old student at a university in Germany, his teacher gave him a very challenging problem: Add up 1+2+4+…all the way up to 100. Gauss was able to solve this problem in less than 5 minutes, shocking his teacher.

Gauss would later become one of the most influential mathematicians in history, and would change many beliefs that people had held for centuries. But, we should not think of Gauss as some one-of-a-kind  math god. Many of his discoveries used simple math —  in a way.

Once upon a time there was a man named Gauss. He was the “ of mathematics”, and has discovered many useful math facts including imaginary numbers.

Euler’s identity is named after the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler. It is an amazing example of mathematical . It shows a deep connection between the 5 most fundamental numbers in mathematics.

In a city in Germany, Königsberg, a geographical quirk gave rise to a new field of mathematics. The city mayor kept wondering if there was any way to cross each of the city’s seven bridges without crossing any of them more than once. When he shared the problem with German mathematician Leonhard Euler, Euler the math of graph theory.

The poor city of Konigsberg was wiped off the map by bombs during WWII.  But, while Königsberg and her seven bridges may not be around anymore, they will be remembered throughout history by the simple riddle which led to the emergence of a whole new of mathematics.

Graph theory is responsible for this amazing fact: In the history of humanity, there are an even number of people that have shaken hands with an odd number of people. This fact is always true — it is a truth.

In a city in Germany, Königsberg, a geographical quirk gave rise to a new field of mathematics. The city mayor kept wondering if there was any way to cross each of the city’s seven bridges without crossing any of them more than once. When he shared the problem with German mathematician Leonhard Euler, Euler the math of graph theory.