what kind of math problems were the students supposed to solve? I ask because the approach you mention is still the best way we have of determining whether two

what kind of math problems were the students supposed to solve? I ask because the approach you mention is still the best way we have of determining whether two polynomials are equivalent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynomial_identity_testing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynomial_identity_testing