In Konigsberg, the capital of East Prussia, there lived an ordinary family of village judges. 186265438+1October 23rd, this family with a rigorous and realistic tradition had a son, who is the great mathematician Hilbert in the future.

Hilbert's grandfather and father are both judges. Mother is a knowledgeable and educated woman. Although she is a housewife without social occupation, she not only knows philosophy and astronomy, but also has deep research on mathematics. She doesn't study for a living, it's entirely out of personal interests. The long-term pursuit of knowledge has made her a knowledgeable and open-minded person.

As the saying goes, "parents are children's first teachers." Since Hilbert was born, parents have paid close attention to his growth and adopted various methods to enlighten his son.

However, Hilbert was very disappointing when he was a child. His language ability is poor, his thinking is a bit slow, and his ability is not as good as that of his peers. Therefore, after careful consideration, his parents did not rush to send Hilbert to school, but educated him at home.

At the age of eight, Hilbert started primary school, two years later than the other children. After school, he studies very hard. He doesn't do well in any subject except math. Hilbert often fails in language, composition and subjects that need to be remembered.

Under the teaching conditions at that time, mathematics was not taken seriously, but Hilbert's strong interest in mathematics made the teacher very happy. His teacher sometimes gives some math problems for students to compete to see who does more, so as to stimulate students' interest in learning math.

This kind of competition suits Hilbert best. He can fully demonstrate his mathematical ability. So every math contest can bring happiness to Hilbert.

Encouraged by teachers, more and more students love mathematics. Because Hilbert's math performance is outstanding, when the teacher is away, students ask Hilbert for advice when they encounter difficult problems or math problems that cannot be solved. This brought confidence and honor to Hilbert.

In the fourth grade of primary school, three brothers Minkowski, a Russian Jew, were transferred to the class. They are all very clever. They can accurately remember the questions explained by the teacher after listening once. The three brothers can also answer questions that students don't understand.

The three brothers became the little teachers in the class. Especially the Minkowski brothers, they can understand some math problems that they can't understand. With the arrival of Minkowski brothers, Hilbert's talent in mathematics was greatly inferior. This made him a little depressed, unable to lift his head at school and unhappy at home. Hilbert's parents found their son's emotional changes in time, and they discussed the problems encountered in their studies with Hilbert.

They want to help Hilbert regain his confidence and convince him that although he is not as good as Minkowski brothers in mathematics for the time being, he still has his own advantages compared with other students, and he works hard and makes rapid progress.

Hilbert's parents always remind their son that learning is not for competition, but for acquiring more knowledge. Since studying every day can bring him gains, what is the need to care about other people's opinions?

Hilbert recovered his confidence with the help of his parents, and then discovered his strengths and weaknesses. In the process of learning, he constantly developed strengths and avoided weaknesses, and finally made extraordinary achievements. He later became a famous mathematician in Germany and was elected as an academician of the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

The 23 mathematical problems he put forward at the 1900 international congress of mathematicians were called "Hilbert mathematical problems", which had a great influence on mathematics in the whole 20th century.