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jltsiren 9 days ago

Depends on the solution. If the solution is that P≠NP, the concept of NP-completeness remains the bigger contribution, unless the proof techniques are particularly interesting and lead to other major results. The same applies if P=NP but the proof does not ultimately lead to a practical algorithm. If we get a practical algorithm, the answer is more valuable than the question.

redox99 9 days ago | parent [-]

Do questions like goldbach conjecture, fermats last theorem, etc deserve more credit than whoever answers them?

jltsiren 9 days ago | parent [-]

Fermat's last theorem probably doesn't. While attempts to solve it have led to many mathematical discoveries, the theorem itself feels little more than a piece of trivia. I'm less familiar with the implications of the Goldbach conjecture.

In contrast, class NP and NP-completeness quickly became central concepts in theoretical computer science.