“Instances have been described in which a mathematician abandons a problem after working on it for a long time, only to have the solution “pop into his head” quite unexpectedly at a later date. It is tempting to suppose that he has continued to work on the problem “unconsciously” and that his solution follows immediately upon some successful manipulation of variables. But variables will change automatically during a period of time. Variables which have interfered with a solution may grow weak, and supporting variables may turn up.” (p. 252)
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