What is the Oldest Unsolved Math Problem?

Posted by Cliff on Thursday July 4, 2002 @12:23PM from the mysteries-of-the-unknown-starring-peter-graves dept.

evilquaker asks: "After finding a reference to the (still open) odd perfect number problem, which is claimed to date back to Euclid, I wondered: what are the oldest unsolved math problems? The folklore answer is that the odd perfect number problem is the only one posed by the Greeks which is still open. However, it seems there is some doubt as to whether Euclid actually wondered about odd perfect numbers. Further, there's a claim that the twin primes conjecture dates back to the Greeks. So what's the oldest documented still-open math problem? Perhaps something about Fibonacci numbers?"

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Re:The oldest unsolved math problem... by dodald · 2002-07-04 16:57 · Score: 2, Interesting

Do you pronounce "Yohdh" "Yoda" by any chance?

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101010b 2Ah 52o
Re:Yes and no by raga · 2002-07-05 08:58 · Score: 2, Interesting

The port of Alaxendria, one of the busiest port-cities, had a law that required ships that came to port to loan all their written scrolls etc. to the library, where it was faithfully copied and archived. That's what made the library (one of) the greatest of its time.

Cheers- raga