Math problems worth millions

 Have you ever sat in bed wishing you could just get a million dollars? Have you ever felt that maths is a monstrosity? If you hate maths but want a million bucks, think again. There are maths problems worth a million. Want to know more? Then dive in!

In 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute introduced a group of 7 problems that could get you a million dollars if solved. They are not your average trick questions or number problems but problems that discuss the nature of our universe. Some of these problems are:-

P vs NP-  This problem asks that for a computer if P and NP are equal. P is the polynomial time it takes to solve a problem, and NP is the polynomial time it takes to verify a solution. For more info, go to brilliant.org. It still remains unsolved.

Pointcarte conjecture-  It states a 3-sphere( made of many 3-dimensional spheres; 4-dimensional) is simply connected, and an arbitrary loop ( like a rubber band) can smoothly be shortened to a point. In topology, the branch that deals with the problem, size doesn't matter, but the number of holes an object has. To a topologist a donut is the same as a coffee mug. An arbitrary loop around a torus couldn't smoothly shape to a point where you would have to create more holes. But it's not the same for 2 spheres ( the ones we see daily). An arbitrary loop can be shifted to a point. A different case is for 3 spheres(4th dimension). It was proved that an arbitrary loop could be shortened to a point for 3 spheres by Gregori Perelman in 2003, who sadly declined the million-dollar prize.

Reimman Hypothesis- This problem states the correlation between the complex part of the Reimman Zeta function and the distribution of prime numbers. This was part of Gilbert's 8th problem( a set of problems for the 20th century proposed by Henry Gilbert). It is said to be the most challenging math problem and remains unsolved.

These are some of the million-dollar problems that change how we think about ourselves when solved. The prizes will be given to someone after a rigorous examination of 2 years, acceptance by the mathematical community and publication on a known magazine/website. Thanks for reading, and solve a problem and get off with a million dollars.

Websites-

brilliant.org/wiki/p-versus-np/

• https://www.claymath.org/millennium-problems/