This biennial prize recognizes "outstanding efforts to popularize mathematics".
In 2017, for problem number 1,000 and the "Dans le mille" competition, Jean-Louis Legrand joined them (see Tangente 179). Following Gilles’s death, his two colleagues did not wish to continue the column without him. It therefore ended with problem no. 1267, published on November 22, 2023.
Several collections of the problems have been published by Éditions POLE. These include L’Intégrale (2010), which brings together the first five hundred problems with annotated solutions. A sequel, L’Intégrale double, is currently in the works.
The first in a long series -----------------------------
The column’s first problem appeared in the January 19, 1997 issue. Entitled "Office disorder," it read as follows:
"A secretary has mixed up all the files in the office. Each file’s number should match the number of the shelf on which it sits. They must quickly be put back in place before the director arrives. But the files are very heavy, and the secretary can move only one at a time, lifting it onto an adjacent shelf (to the left, right, front, or back), provided that shelf is empty.
"A practical man, he found the most efficient solution, completing the task in the minimum number of moves. Can you do as well? Can you prove that this number of moves is minimal?"
Approaching problems from "the right angle" -----------------------------------------
"Gilles, we will remember your boundless energy, the brilliance of your ideas, the richness of your imagination, the passion you brought to everything you did, and your perfectionism, which meant that you never 'let go' until everything was perfect. We will also remember your gift for bringing teams together and leading them, keeping them working effectively over the long term to bring your many projects to fruition.
"Having worked closely with you and shared so many ideas, I would add a personal note: much as I appreciated your love of life, your enthusiasm, your respect for others, your sensitivity, and your way of saying things without wishing to hurt anyone, what I admired most was your vast mathematical knowledge and your insight in tackling every mathematical question, even the thorniest, as well as your ability to approach problems from 'the right angle,' making the solution crystal-clear and, above all, accessible to as many people as possible."
Élisabeth Busser
"Gilles was, of course, a great connoisseur of mathematical and logic games, but that was far from all… He was also a gifted popularizer, able to write almost as quickly as he thought. He always wrote clearly, from the perspective of the uninitiated reader and with strict limits on length, particularly when writing solutions. Complete originality is difficult to achieve in this field. But Gilles took care to identify the original source correctly, then devise a variation or extension as far removed from it as possible. The hundreds of columns he amassed are a genuine treasure for anyone prepared to read them closely and make use of them."
Jean-Louis Legrand