wheres the genius who solved $1m maths puzzle?
THE search is on for a reclusive Russian mathematics genius who has solved a century-old problem called the Poincaré conjecture. Grigori Perelman, 40, known as “Grisha”, is a leading contender to win the Fields Medal, the mathematics equivalent of a Nobel prize, at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid next Tuesday.He is also in line to receive a $1 million (£530,000) cash prize from an American institute for his proof of one of the seven greatest mathematical mysteries. However, colleagues describe Dr Perelman, who is said to have resigned his post at the renowned Steklov Institute of Mathematics in St Petersburg, as an unworldly figure who may not turn up in Madrid even if he wins his profession’s top honour. Gang Tian, a Princeton professor who has co-written a 473-page guide to Dr Perelman’s proof of Poincaré’s conjecture, said: “He certainly has no interest in material things. If he gets the Fields Medal, there is the issue of whether or not he will accept it.” Jo
