February 18, 2026
Homework or Headache?
Assigning Open Problems in Class
Prof assigns unsolved puzzles for 'extra credit' — students split between hype and heartbreak
TLDR: A professor assigns unsolved “open” problems as extra credit that won’t affect grades but can boost recommendation letters. Comments erupted with tales of impossible homework and Good Will Hunting jokes, splitting between fans of bold challenges and critics who want fair warning and no weekend time-sinks.
Open problems — questions nobody has solved yet — are now turning up as “extra credit” homework, and the class gossip is blazing. The professor says he tells students, “I made this up but couldn’t solve it; maybe you can,” and keeps the points off the grade, saving wins for recommendation letters. He’s debating whether to warn it’s unsolved and insists students won’t think less of him if they crack it. His friend calls that honesty a terrible idea; he calls it inspiring. Cue drama.
Commenters rolled in with war stories and memes. One recalled a set theory teaser that turned out to be “famously undecidable” — a trick question with no answer at all. Another painted a chaotic scene: a brilliant, rumpled algorithms prof demanding a faster solution, growing disappointed as silence spread, then a TA entrance that felt like a cliffhanger. The meme crowd shouted, “Have you seen Good Will Hunting?,” while others shared professors who assigned “unsolvable” weekend problems for sport. The thread split: Team Motivation loves bold puzzles and transparent “I couldn’t solve it” vibes; Team Fairness says warn students, don’t waste weekends, and keep grades clean. The hottest take: extra credit shouldn’t inflate scores, but a solved mystery should earn bragging rights — and a glowing letter.
Key Points
- •The author assigns open problems as extra credit and debates whether to disclose their open status to students.
- •They distinguish between famous, hard open problems and self-created unsolved questions that may be approachable.
- •Their practice is to tell students when a problem is homemade and unsolved by the instructor, noting it might still be solvable.
- •The author disputes a claim that such transparency could reduce student respect if a student solves it.
- •Extra credit does not affect course grades but can support recommendation letters; broader grading challenges from tools and AI are acknowledged.