Imagine being stumped by a math problem so bizarre, it’s been dubbed 'the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in maths/physics' by a former high-frequency trader. But here’s where it gets controversial: could this seemingly absurd question actually reveal something profound about a candidate’s problem-solving mindset? Annanay Kapila, now the founder of exchange startup QFEX, once grilled junior traders at Tower Research Capital with brain-twisting puzzles like this. One such question, which has since gone viral thanks to a 3Blue1Brown YouTube video, involves a light ball, a heavier one, and a wall. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. And this is the part most people miss: the solution isn’t just about physics—it’s a gateway to understanding the elegance of Pi (π) in unexpected ways. Here’s the kicker: as the mass ratio between the balls increases, the number of collisions before the heavier ball changes direction starts to mirror the digits of Pi. For instance, when the heavier ball is 10,000 times the mass of the lighter one, the lighter ball collides with the wall 314 times—the first three digits of Pi. At 1,000,000 times the mass, it’s 3,141 collisions, and so on. But here’s the real question: Is this just a quirky math problem, or does it test a deeper curiosity and passion for mathematics? Kapila argues it’s less about knowing the answer and more about recognizing the problem’s significance. Speaking of mind-benders, Kapila also shared another head-scratcher: imagine a room with infinitely many people wearing red or blue hats, each guessing their own hat color based on what they see. Can they devise a strategy to ensure only finitely many wrong guesses? Think you’ve got it? Let us know in the comments—we’d love to hear your take! But here’s where it gets even more intriguing: Could such problems be the key to unlocking creativity in algorithmic trading, or are they just intellectual flexes? Share your thoughts below—let’s spark a debate!
