Classic math puzzle cracked at last
A number puzzle originating in the work of self-taught maths genius Srinivasa Ramanujan nearly a century ago has been solved. The solution may one day lead to advances in particle physics and computer security.
Karl Mahlburg, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, US, has spent a year putting together the final pieces to the puzzle, which involves understanding patterns of numbers.
"I have filled notebook upon notebook with calculations and equations," says Mahlburg, who has submitted a 10-page paper of his results to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The patterns were first discovered by Ramanujan, who was born in India in 1887 and flunked out of college after just a year because he neglected his studies in subjects outside of mathematics.
It really strikes a chord down deep in me when I read about someone pursuing what they love like this, even though it's totally wack with regard to most of the rest of the mundane world. I think it's why I found Derbyshire's book about the Riemann Hypothesis so fascinating. No, I'm not a mathematician, and in fact can barely wrap my brain around calculus, but I think it's wonderful whenever someone fully and wholeheartedly embraces and pursues who God made them to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment