YSU MathFest 2003 Essay Contest
Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture
by Apostolos K. Doxiadis
Early in the book, "Uncle Petros & Goldbach's Conjecture," the lead character and his father are
having a discussion about Uncle Petros. The father suggests that Uncle Petros has ruined his
life and wasted his talent. Some of the discussion is listed below
in the following quotes from the book.
"Your uncle, my son, committed the greatest of sins."
"But what did he do, Father, tell me! Did he steal or rob or kill?"
"No, no, all these are simple misdemeanors compared to his
crime.… Your Uncle Petros cast pearls before swine, he took something holy and sacred
and great, and shamelessly defiled it!"
...
"And what exactly was that?"
"His gift, of course!" shouted my father. "The great, unique gift that God had blessed him
with, his phenomenal, unprecedented mathematical talent! The miserable fool wasted it;
he squandered it and threw it out with the garbage."
In 700-900 respond to the following:
Based on this book and your life's experiences thus far, do you believe that people who spend their lives trying to achieve goals that may not be possible have wasted their talents and their time?
How to Enter
- There is no entry fee.
- Attendance at MathFest is not mandatory to submit an entry.
- Multiple entries may be mailed together.
- Be sure your essay is postmarked (or hand delivered) by October 22, 2003
and addressed as follows:
MathFest Essay Contest
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Youngstown State University
One University Plaza
Youngstown, OH 44555
Rules
- Submit only one paper.
- Type or print your paper,
double-spaced on unlined white paper, or hand-write your
paper in ink on only one side of lined 8.5 x 11" white paper.
- Leave 1" margins on all sides, and number the pages.
- Write your paper with no help from your teachers,
parents, or anyone else. Use only
your own ideas, and put those ideas in your own words.
Enclose all direct quotations in quotation
marks.
- Limit your paper to 700-900 words.
Papers that are significantly shorter or longer are
disqualified.
- Use a title page with the following information:
- the title of your paper
- your name (no nicknames or shortened names)
- your social security number (without this, YSU cannot issue a check for the winning entry)
- your full address
- your age and grade
- your teacher's first and last name
- the name of your school (no abbreviations)
Do not give any of this information anywhere else in your essay.
At the bottom of the title page, write the
following statement:
I have received no direct help on
this paper from my teachers, parents, or anyone else.
Then sign your name beneath it.
Evaluation
Your essay will be evaluated using the following criteria:
-
your establishment of a clear purpose for writing the essay
- evidence that you understand the book
- the effectiveness of your organization
- the clarity, conciseness, and freshness of your language
Prizes
Cash Prizes of $100, $75, and $50 will be awarded to the first, second, and third prizes at
the prize giving ceremony at MathFest!
Permissions
Entries cannot be returned.
All entries become property of YSU.
The University reserves
the right to publish any of the entries submitted,
with credit given to the authors.
MathFest
mathfest@math.ysu.edu
