Write An Essay On Paul Erd Hughes

Paul Erdős was one of the most prolific mathematicians in history. Believing mathematics was a social activity, he would travel from campus to campus, collaborating with resident mathematicians for a short while and then he would move on to his next collaborator, often soliciting input from his current cohort as to who to seek out next. Known now for his pioneering work in the field of discreet mathematics, Erdős was always drawn to arithmetic. Born on March 26, 1913 to two high school math teachers, Paul developed an early interest in the subject and by the age of four he could calculate the number of seconds a person had lived based on their age. This was the beginning of Erdős’ idiosyncratic approach to life. A life lived through the lens of mathematics.

He traveled from theorem to theorem, planting seeds of knowledge at different universities without regard for money, possessions, or modern domestic life. Having never married nor fathered any children, he was free to pursue his passion for collaboration with the people of his field. What money he earned that was leftover after his basic needs were met; Erdős used to fund prizes for “Erdős Problems”, a group of problems he thought were out of reach of the mathematical thinking of the time. Erdős had many eccentricities, one of which was his own system of nomenclature for the world around him. He referred to children as “epsilons”, men as “slaves”, women as “bosses” among many other quirky terms. He also spoke of “The Book” a reference to an imagined tome, divinely written which contains all of the most elegant theorems. When especially impressed with a theorem, he would exclaim, “This one’s from The Book!” This declaration of the divine may have been tongue in cheek because it was at odds with Erdős true beliefs as an agnostic. Or it may have shown where the man’s true faith lay, in the power of