You say that if someone has the chops to be a real mathlete they won't need Polya's _How To Solve It_
I'll say I went to college 25 years ago with people who had competed internationally in high school and who placed competitively on the Putnam, and they LOVED Polya's book.
I think whether you enjoy seeing strategies laid out well--—whether or not you've been able to figure some of it out yourself---depsnds more on your personality than on how good you are at solving creative math problems.
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You say that if someone has the chops to be a real mathlete they won't need Polya's _How To Solve It_
I'll say I went to college 25 years ago with people who had competed internationally in high school and who placed competitively on the Putnam, and they LOVED Polya's book.
I think whether you enjoy seeing strategies laid out well--—whether or not you've been able to figure some of it out yourself---depsnds more on your personality than on how good you are at solving creative math problems.