Problem of the Month (February 5th, 2026)
During this session, we tried to introduce students to the problem solving strategy of trying to find similar easier problems until the students could solve the original, more complicated problem. The question at hand was the problem of the month by the Mathematical Association of America: [PDF Download]
Find all rational numbers \(x\) such that \(y = \sqrt{x^2 + x + 2026}\) is rational.
For example \(x = 45\) will give us \(y = 64\).
Computer or AI assisted/generated solutons will not be accepted.
When students solved the problem of the month, they got sent the following MAA prize:
If there are any students interested in problem solving, they should consider reading the following books:
