Solving open problems through a misunderstanding

Question

We all know the (apparently verified¹) anecdote recounting George Dantzig arriving late to a lecture (by Jerzy Neyman), and later solving two open problems written on the board, mistaking them for homework. My question is:

Q. Are there other examples of a similar misunderstanding that led to the solution of an unsolved problem?

Perhaps even in an exam, where an exam question's novel solution led to a new perspective on the topic? This possibility inspired by Interesting things you learned while grading?.

¹ Mentioned in Dantzig's obituaries.

There are other versions of your Danzig story, but instead featuring other names. — Gerald Edgar, May 12 '20 at 23:48
@GeraldEdgar: I'd be interested to hear of (or a link to) these other stories. — Joseph O'Rourke, May 13 '20 at 00:10
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-unsolvable-math-problem/ — Matthew Daly, May 13 '20 at 01:04

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered May 22 '20 at 22:18

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William Tutte apparently introduced the concept of the thickness of a graph. I have a memory of reading or being told that the concept of the coarseness of a graph arose because Paul Erdos misunderstood the definition of thickness.

answered May 22 '20 at 22:18

Joseph Malkevitch

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Solving open problems through a misunderstanding

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