Grigori Perelman refuses the Fields Medal?

Page 1 of 1 [ 8 posts ] 

Diamonddavej
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 530
Location: Ireland

20 Aug 2006, 1:39 pm

Russian mathematics genius Gregori Perelman, who rumour has it, will be awarded the Fields Medal for his 600 page long proof of the Poincare Conjecture, has disappeared. No one knows where he is. He maybe living as a Hermit in Andorra.

Image - Have you seen this Mathmatician?

The Fields Medal is like the Noble Prize but for Mathematics and is awarded every 4 years. On this occasion, it will be awarded by the King of Spain (Juan Carlo I of Spain) if Gregori turns up, at the 2006 International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid Spain. To be held from 22th to 30th August.

If no one can find him soon, he will not receive his Fields Medal and the several 100,000's dollars award money. He will be only the second Mathematician to forfeit the award. The last time anyone refused the prize was 1966, when Alexander Grothendieck refuse to accept the Fields Medal because of the Soviet invasion of eastern Europe.

Link: New Scientist Article

Link: About the Fields Medal

Link: About Grigori Perelman



alex
Developer
Developer

User avatar

Joined: 13 Jun 2004
Age: 37
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,214
Location: Beverly Hills, CA

20 Aug 2006, 1:45 pm

Does he have aspergers?


_________________
I'm Alex Plank, the founder of Wrong Planet. Follow me (Alex Plank) on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/alexplank.bsky.social


Diamonddavej
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 530
Location: Ireland

20 Aug 2006, 2:12 pm

Grigory is described as shy, unworldly and he is a Hermit. I think he has AS. Allot of Mathematicians have AS/HFS.


One of the best candidates for Mathematician with Asperger’s Syndrome was Paul Erdős – The man who only loved numbers.

He never owned a house or married, he lived from university to university. He would turn up unannounced at a mathematicians door and exclaim “My mind is open!”. He would then set to work on mathematics problems. He had no concept of annoying people, he would wake them up at night and tell them his ideas on mathematics. As soon as he was bored, he left without saying good bye.

Close to the end of his life, he was lecturing to an audience at a Mathematics conference. He had a Heart Attack and fell on the floor. An ambulance was called. His microphone was still on and as he was being carried out to the ambulance he was heard to say “Wait wait, I haven’t finished my proof yet. Take me back, take me back!”

3 days later Erdős arrived at the End of conference Banquette with a Nurse on each arm and his Doctor following on behind. Erdos went up to the stage and announced that the doctor was the best discovery in mathematics in years. “He saved my life and I can continue doing mathematics for several years more!”

From wiki - "Other idiosyncratic elements of Erdős' vocabulary include: children were referred to as "epsilons"; women were "bosses"; men were "slaves"; people who stopped doing math had "died"; people who died had "left"; alcoholic drinks were "poison"; music was "noise"; and, to give a mathematical lecture was "to preach."

Link: Paul Erdős



violet_yoshi
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Aug 2004
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,297

20 Aug 2006, 7:47 pm

Hmm, well maybe it would help to consider, what would help Trent Reznor come out from hiding. Since he also is something of an acclaimed hermit. Trent's the singer in Nine Inch Nails.



Diamonddavej
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Age: 51
Gender: Male
Posts: 530
Location: Ireland

22 Aug 2006, 10:08 am

It was just confirmed today (22nd Aug) that Grigory declined the Fields Medal (the prize was just $7,000).

An ex-colleague of his described him as very polite unconventional genius, who didn’t talk very much. He is thought to be unemployed and currently believed to be living with his mother in St Petersburg. He is likely to turn down the Clay Prize as well ( $1,000,000 ).


There is a growing feeling, a cautious optimism that [mathematicians] have finally achieved a landmark not just of mathematics, but of human thought.
— Dennis Overbye, "An Elusive Proof and Its Elusive Prover - The Poincare conjecture", New York Times, 15 August, 2006

So, perhaps due to his autism Grigory Perelman became a temporary mathematics genius and later a recluse who may do no new work.



voss749
Raven
Raven

User avatar

Joined: 3 Apr 2006
Age: 53
Gender: Male
Posts: 120

23 Aug 2006, 12:19 am

You know, I can understand why he might turn down the fields medal(with a $7000) prize
but if he turns down a million bucks, he's loony tunes.

If he doesnt want the money, give it to his mom so the money can be used to keep him
in a decent house.



Awiddershinlife
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 4 Jul 2009
Gender: Female
Posts: 403
Location: On the Continental Divide in the Gila Wilderness

13 Nov 2010, 5:16 pm

Diamonddavej wrote:
Grigory is described as shy, unworldly and he is a Hermit. I think he has AS. Allot of Mathematicians have AS/HFS.


As long as you are making a list of types of ASP - Autism Spectrum DISORDER (ASD) has been unofficially updated to Autism Spectrum Personality - who demonstrate savant mathematic skills, dont forget that group too often refered to as LFAs.

I bet if surveyed that a higher percentage of LFAs show savant skills (of all kinds) than any other neural group (esp NTs)! !


_________________
~
We sour green apples live our own inscrutable, carefree lives... (Max Frei)
~


Awiddershinlife
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 4 Jul 2009
Gender: Female
Posts: 403
Location: On the Continental Divide in the Gila Wilderness

13 Nov 2010, 5:16 pm

Diamonddavej wrote:
Grigory is described as shy, unworldly and he is a Hermit. I think he has AS. Allot of Mathematicians have AS/HFS.


As long as you are making a list of types of ASP - Autism Spectrum DISORDER (ASD) has been unofficially updated to Autism Spectrum Personality - who demonstrate savant mathematic skills, dont forget that group too often refered to as LFAs.

I bet if surveyed, that a higher percentage of LFAs would show savant skills (of all kinds) than any other neural group (esp NTs)! !


_________________
~
We sour green apples live our own inscrutable, carefree lives... (Max Frei)
~