December 17, 1999

Proofs and Conundrums for North American Students in Math-Crazy Hungary

By BURTON BOLLAG

Beyond Buda hill with its imposing royal castle, a group of American math majors is listening intently to an instructor. Gabor Elek is speaking animatedly, his fluent English clothed in a Hungarian accent. "If we know that T is bounded, and X minus Y is smaller than delta ..." He pauses, his eyes wide open, searching the faces of his students: "What is the implication?"

The class is part of Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, an overseas study program for math students from North

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