Where My Questions Live

On my desk sits a five-subject notebook. It has neither a front nor a back cover as a consequence of the wear it has endured in my backpack. Diagrams, equations, and small-print notes sprawl across the pages. Two sections are dedicated to academics, whether in my high school, at my local community college, or self-studying AP Chemistry and AP Computer Science A. One section is used for tutoring. While I help others understand math, they show me new perspectives on even simple ideas, which I commit to writing. Two more sections are filled with math proofs and problems I came up with. I often can’t solve them but always enjoy the process of thinking through a problem, dead ends and all. Through this process, I’ve even stumbled across many ideas I now cherish, from Farey sequences to curvature to metric spaces. At one time, I accidentally derived the arithmetic mean - geometric mean inequality while thinking through tangent circles. Solving problems and constructing proofs in my notebook has shown me that curiosity is often the key to finding innovative solutions to fun problems. Overall, my notebook embodies the ground on which I chase creative ideas.