The Wild Number Problem: math or fiction?

TL;DR

This paper discusses the creation and reception of a fictional mathematical problem called the Wild Number Problem, exploring its perceived authenticity and impact on both the public and mathematicians.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of a fictional mathematical problem and analyzes its influence on public perception and mathematical discourse.

Findings

Public was often unsure if the Wild Number Problem was real

Mathematicians attempted to legitimize the problem as genuine mathematics

The problem's fictional nature affected its reception and interpretation

Abstract

In this article, I explain why I abandoned my original plan to write a novel about a mathematician proving Fermat's Last Theorem, letting my protagonist solve the entirely fictional Wild Number Problem instead. I enumerate the steps that had to be taken to make it seem as much like a genuine mathematical problem as possible. I then describe how my novel was received by the general public, many readers not quite sure whether or not the wild numbers really existed, and how it was received by the mathematical community, a number of mathematicians trying to rid the problem of its fictional character to transform it into real mathematics after all.