Jewish Problems
This paper collects and solves 21 'killer' math problems used to discriminatorily reject Jewish applicants at Moscow State University.
2011/10/07 by Tanya Khovanova, Alexey Radul · 15 voices · 2 citations
#math.HO
paper · pdf
Abstract
This is a special collection of problems that were given to select applicants during oral entrance exams to the math department of Moscow State University. These problems were designed to prevent Jews and other undesirables from getting a passing grade. Among problems that were used by the department to blackball unwanted candidate students, these problems are distinguished by having a simple solution that is difficult to find. Using problems with a simple solution protected the administration from extra complaints and appeals. This collection therefore has mathematical as well as historical value.
Summary
The authors provide a selection of 21 mathematics problems that were historically used during oral entrance exams at Moscow State University to blackball Jewish students. These problems were specifically designed to be difficult to solve despite having elementary solutions, providing the university administration with plausible deniability regarding discrimination.
machine-generated · gemma4:31b
In simple words
Long ago, some people in charge of a school wanted to keep certain people out. They gave these students very hard math puzzles that were almost impossible to solve. The school said the puzzles were fair because they had simple answers, but they were were hard to find. This paper lists those puzzles and how to solve them.
machine-generated · gemma4:31b
Outline
- A personal story of Tanya Khovanova — The author describes her experience in a Soviet math camp and how she obtained these problems.
- Introduction — Discusses the historical context of discrimination against Jewish applicants at Moscow State University.
- Problems — A list of 21 mathematical challenges across various domains.
- Ideas — Brief hints or key conceptual steps for each problem.
- Solutions — Detailed step-by-step proofs and constructions for the 21 problems.
machine-generated · gemma4:31b
Cited by
Discussions
- Jewish problems [hn, 303 points, 187 comments]
- These problems were designed to prevent Jewish people from passing (2011) [hn, 156 points, 170 comments]
- Jewish problems (2011) [hn, 120 points, 95 comments]
- Jewish Problems [hn, 115 points, 69 comments]
- Jewish Problems (2011) [hn, 110 points, 126 comments]
- Jewish Problems (2011) [pdf] [hn, 37 points, 33 comments]
- Jewish Problems (2011) [lobsters, 23 points, 3 comments]
- Jewish Problems [hn, 5 points, 1 comments]
- Jewish Problems: Problems Designed to Prevent Jews Getting a Passing Grade [hn, 5 points, 1 comments]
- 'Jewish' Problems (2011) [hn, 4 points, 3 comments]
- Jewish Problems - hard math problems with simple solutions [hn, 1 points, 1 comments]
- Not new, but their implementation of the policy is pretty stupid arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556 [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- Not as much as you coping over Beria being a pedophile. Oh hey: arxiv.org/abs/1110.1556 [bsky, 1 points, 1 comments]
- (Do you know about the mathematical problems that were used to keep Jewish people out of the university system in the USSR? You can read about them here - very interesting story of mathematical proble [bsky, 1 points, 0 comments]
- Ils sont listés ici : arxiv.org/pdf/1110.155... Il s'agit de sujets à l'énoncé relativement courts, dont la résolution est difficile, et qui présentent la particularité d'avoir tous une solution éléga [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]
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- Elissa Bemporad, <i>Jews in the Soviet Union—A History, Vol. 1, 1917–1930: Revolution, Civil War, and New Ways of Life</i> . New York: New York University Press, 2025. xvi, 396 pp. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Plates. Maps. 35.00, hard bound.
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