Serendipity

The aim of this short paper, is to show how serendipity was a key input in the research that led Ivar’s to two of his main contributions: proof of an old Hamiltonian systems conjecture using devices from the math eco tool box, then smart investigation of family’s budget decision process using symplectic geometry. Of course anyone is expected to say: “you mean: symplectic tools for Hamiltonians, and math eco toolkit for family budget.” Here is the point: these Ivar’s works illuminate how much serendipity creates unexpected brilliant results.