Re:Yitang “Tom” Zhang and fame in mathematics
by muddyrivers on Friday December 30, 2016 @03:44PM
(#13287283)
I have different interpretation of being a genius. Being a genius doesn't mean she or he can solve really hard problems easily. One is a genius if he or she does solve really hard problems, especially in the fields like math, physics, etc. where all low-hanging fruits were way gone. Both Zhang and Perelman are genius, in my eyes. It doesn't matter how long it takes one to solve the hard problems. It sounds a fairy tale to me that someone wakes up one day with a genius thought, and two weeks later, complete a solution for a really hard problem in math, physics, etc. in nowadays.
Re:Yitang “Tom” Zhang and fame in mathematics
by rifung on Friday December 30, 2016 @06:30PM
(#13288432)
One thing I think you will notice both with him and others who are successful was that they never were interested in fame or success. He seems to do mathematics merely because he enjoys it.
What I'm trying to say is that perhaps you shouldn't worry too much about whether you are a genius or smart enough but just try to be happy by doing something you enjoy.
Re:Yitang “Tom” Zhang and fame in mathematics
by argonaut on Friday December 30, 2016 @09:12PM
(#13289031)
Yeah, also it's worth pointing out that he finished a PhD in math. That is already genius level mathematics as far as most people are concerned; certainly relative to your average undergraduate STEM student.
[edit:] Peter Sarnak from Princeton does call him a genius. When you read about him online, you actually find several other people who have known/worked with him to call him that as well. So I guess I was wrong.
> Why did you solve this problem and not somebody else?
> I think the important reason is that I persisted for several years. I didn’t give up.
> How long did you work on your conjecture?
> I worked on my conjecture for four years. I worked on it seven days a week. I didn’t take any breaks almost. If we count the time I spent thinking about the problem, then it was more than 10 hours a day. If you count sitting in front of a desk or using a computer, then it was five or six hours a day.