Russian genius not sure if he'll take his $1 million prize for solving 100-year-old math problem

ba.

I recently read The Housekeeper and the Professor, a Japanese novel about a reclusive mathematical genius and his new housekeeper and her son. While the professor is not exactly like this man, he is constantly working on these problems and solving them. As you read, you begin to understand that for him, the math and the numbers are beautiful to him in a way that would be difficult to quantify. Although I don't like math, I could understand his love. It would like running and winning a race and then turning down the prize money. I could understand that.

An update on the story: He's not Russian. He was actually a kid from south Boston with a juvenile record, working as a janitor at Harvard. He solved a problem on the blackboard and the douchebag professor caught him, but he didn't want recognition because he thought he liked his life the way it was -- really he had deep-seated emotional problems from being abused as a child. To stay out of jail after aggravated assault, he went to therapy where he learned to love again. He met a woman who broke his heart, and he broke hers, but they ended up getting back together. He accepted the million dollars and yelled, at the awards ceremony, "How 'bout dem apples?!"

It's a heart-warming story, really. I heard they might make a movie out of it...

oftenrunning52 wrote:As you read, you begin to understand that for him, the math and the numbers are beautiful to him in a way that would be difficult to quantify.

That is ironic in a way that would be difficult for me to write about wittily.

oftenrunning52 wrote:It would like running and winning a race and then turning down the prize money. I could understand that.

For good runners, running is not interesting without money.

Fellas, this is what happens when you lose the will to ever get laid again.

smart or stupid wrote:

Is he stupid, or is this refreshing?

He has already been 'awarded' the Fields Medal (math's Nobel, since math does not get one for personal (Nobel's) reasons). So, we know for sure that he is not stupid.

He does not want to be an object of curiosity or a "public figure," and the award will make him "public".

The problem is a very difficult one and if you cannot conceptualize four (spatial) dimensions it is hard to even explain.

If the problem is one hundred years old and no one had solved it how do we know he came up with the right answer? For all we know his answer might just be ass backward.

I tried to solve it, but apparently 7 is not the correct answer.

A book was written about the quest to solve one of the great unsolved mysteries in math.

Poincare's Prize: The Hundred-Year Quest to Solve One of Math's Greatest Puzzles by George G. Szpiro

It's an interesting story about topology and multi-dimensional space.

Umm... it's called logic... Mathematicians prove things by a series of logically sound arguments. Mathematicians always start with a set of universally (mostly) accepted axioms, and build logically justified theorems.

You obviously know nothing about mathematics. Here is a hint, it's a lot more then what you learn in high school algebra.

the mathemagician wrote:

Umm... it's called logic... Mathematicians prove things by a series of logically sound arguments. Mathematicians always start with a set of universally (mostly) accepted axioms, and build logically justified theorems.

You obviously know nothing about mathematics. Here is a hint, it's a lot more then what you learn in high school algebra.

Do carpenters' insult non carpenters like this? How about electricians? florists? truck drivers?

Every profession and most every job is a lot more that what you learn in high school.

There nothing unique about mathematics that people who do it for a living are advanced over those who don't so why have such a chip on your shoulder?

The good news is that the reluctant Russian genius evidently has lapped the field. Always nice to see the great talent emerge.

thumper wrote:An update on the story: He's not Russian. He was actually a kid from south Boston with a juvenile record, working as a janitor at Harvard. He solved a problem on the blackboard and the douchebag professor caught him, but he didn't want recognition because he thought he liked his life the way it was -- really he had deep-seated emotional problems from being abused as a child. To stay out of jail after aggravated assault, he went to therapy where he learned to love again. He met a woman who broke his heart, and he broke hers, but they ended up getting back together. He accepted the million dollars and yelled, at the awards ceremony, "How 'bout dem apples?!"

POD!

the mathemagician wrote:

Umm... it's called logic

that's pretty funny. you didn't ever hear of the failure of that attempt to reduce math to logic?

smart or stupid wrote:

http://gawker.com/5505210/wicked-smart-russian-guy-doesnt-care-about-1-million-math-prize

Is he stupid, or is this refreshing?

I think you have a good point there. Whenever people tend to go against our view of what is best and what should happen, they are called stupid. In this case, it is pretty obvious he's a genius, but if he does something that others wouldn't do, it doesn't even matter. I see this a lot in modern society. Smart people get bagged on for going against the general concensus and criticized for their overly outlandish ideas, when in reality their ideas are very coherent if you put some thought into it. Just my observation, though.

Yeah but you've already demonstrated yourself to be a religious freak so who cares?

I solved the Poincare Conjecture like 20 years ago but I never told anyone. I'm that above it all. Congrats to that Russian guy for coming in 2nd though.

oftenrunning52 wrote:

I recently read The Housekeeper and the Professor, a Japanese novel about a reclusive mathematical genius and his new housekeeper and her son. While the professor is not exactly like this man, he is constantly working on these problems and solving them. As you read, you begin to understand that for him, the math and the numbers are beautiful to him in a way that would be difficult to quantify. Although I don't like math, I could understand his love. It would like running and winning a race and then turning down the prize money. I could understand that.

Also from the article:

"Perelman hasn't officially made up his mind about accepting the money yet, but the St. Petersburg chapter of the Communist Party said it would gladly take it off his hands if he doesn't want it."

Perhaps he won't have a choice. Good ol' communism making sure no money is wasted.