Mathematical research provides foundational tools and results for a variety of scientific fields. As such, it is often complex and abstract, hiding the beauty of the intermediate results that are often easy to state once removed from the underlying scientific context. To me, these hidden gems, requiring only creative thinking without many years of study, are the most beautiful part of research in mathematics. For anyone similarly minded, or just anyone looking for some (hopefully) fun and elementary problems, you can check the following collection of fun little questions encountered in my research.
There are many sources for other fun and elementary mathematical problems. I have mostly encountered them through various camps and competitions organised by devoted mathematicians. For anyone who understands Czech or is happy to rely on Google translate, here are some Czech mathematical camps and competitions, which have played a crucial role in nurturing a love for problem solving among generations of young mathematicians.
- Matematická olympiáda - Czech Mathematical Olympiad
- Náboj - International Team Mathematical Competition
- Prase - Prague's Mathematical All Year Competition
- iKS - Czech and Slovak Mathematical All Year Competition