> What does it even mean to say that a non-applied mathematical theorem is “wort... | Hacker News

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derefr on Sept 16, 2018 | parent | context | favorite | on: Bellman's lost in a forest problem

> What does it even mean to say that a non-applied mathematical theorem is “worth” some sum of money?

The aggregate increase in lifetime earnings of the set of of maths grad students who earn their Ph.D off of a dissertation in the subfield built on the back of the knowledge gained from the solution to the problem?

maweki on Sept 17, 2018 [–]

Then a million dollars is nothing. That's not even one graduate's earnings.

daveFNbuck on Sept 17, 2018 | [–]

That's the total salary, not the amount that the discovery changes the salary by.

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