I Am the President of the University

UK, University of Cambridge.

In a coffee shop on campus. \b

Timothy Gowers is a professor in the Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics (hereinafter referred to as the Department of Mathematics) at the University of Cambridge and the 1998 Fields Medal winner.

At this moment, he was chatting with two of his doctoral students about the progress of each other's projects.

"Harvey, your research direction is very interesting. You can boldly try it."

Just as he was about to ask another student, the cell phone placed on the table suddenly rang with a notification tone.

Professor Gowers glanced at it and saw a new email.

He originally planned to check it later, but when he noticed the name of the recipient, he couldn't help but frown.

"Sorry, please allow me to check my phone." After apologizing to the two of them, Professor Gowers picked up his phone and clicked on the email.

[Dear Professor Gowers:

I am your old friend Edward, and I am writing this letter to tell you the good news. The integer solution of x^3+y^3+z^3=33 has been proved, and the paper has been published on arxiv... …]

Although Professor Edward now works in the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University, the relationship between the two is still good, because Professor Edward worked in the Department of Mathematics at Cambridge University before going to Princeton University.

When he saw [x^3+y^3+z^3=33], Gowers raised his eyebrows.

This mathematical problem is not as famous as Goldbach's conjecture and Poincaré's conjecture, but it has also troubled the mathematics community for decades and is considered a difficult problem.

Has it finally been solved?

But which mathematician did it?

Professor Gowers' curiosity greatly increased and he asked the two students in front of him: "Harvey, Owen, which one of you brought a computer? I need to read a paper on arxiv."

"Professor, I brought my computer." Owen said, taking out the computer from the backpack behind him.

When handing it to Professor Gowers, Owen couldn't help but ask: "Professor, did something happen?"

Gowers looked up at the two of them and chuckled, "[x^3+y^3+z^3=33] has been proven, and it will be posted on arxiv."

Have you solved the integer of [x^3+y^3+z^3=33]? ? ?

The two doctoral students were shocked, and then their eyes showed envy.

In fact, this problem is not as significant to the mathematics community as those conjectures. Solving this problem will not allow them to win the Fields Medal, but it can make them famous in the mathematics community.

This is why countless mathematicians flock to it.

After all, every time a mathematical puzzle is proven, there is one missing.

Open the arxiv website and it takes almost no effort to find the article mentioned by Professor Edward.

[Proof of the integer solution of x^3+y^3+z^3=33——zhou lu]

"zhou lu?"

Professor Gowers chuckled and murmured: "A Chinese mathematician or a Chinese mathematician?"

As for the former, there are a few top-notch young mathematicians, but there are no top-notch ones; the latter is different, there is a gathering of elites, not to mention the elderly Yau Sing-tung, and there is also Tao Zhexuan who is in his prime.

The fingers slid quickly on the touch panel of the laptop, and the changes in the content of the computer page made Owen and Harvey, two doctoral students from prestigious universities, groan in their hearts.

Before he even saw the half, Professor Gowers had already flipped it over.

ten minutes later.

"This idea is very interesting and the algorithm is perfect." Professor Gowers praised.

"Professor, is there any problem with this proof?" Harvey rolled his eyes.

Seeing Professor Gowers's attitude, it seemed like there wouldn't be much of a problem.

Gowers' main contribution in winning the Fields Medal was his use of functional analysis and combinatorial mathematics to create a series of structures in Banach spaces that lacked symmetry at all.

Although Gowers's field of expertise is functional analysis, for people of their level, their understanding of mathematics is basically beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

"No problem, a very successful proof process, and this is because Professor Lu's mathematical thinking is very rigorous, but I don't know why I haven't heard the other party's name." Professor Gowers shook his head and said.

Logically speaking, someone with such strength should be a mathematics professor at a famous school, more or less famous, and there would be no problem in participating in the International Congress of Mathematicians.

But he didn't know anything about Professor Lu.

as if,

The other party appeared out of nowhere.

Grain grain

"You guys should take a look, I have to leave first." After returning the computer to Owen, Professor Gowers left the coffee shop.

Walking on the campus path, he picked up his mobile phone and called Professor Edward on the other side of the ocean.

The reason was because Professor Edward specifically asked him to call him after reading the email.

It's 3pm in the UK now, but it's still 10am in the US.

The call was quickly answered.

A hearty laughter rang out first.

"Hahaha, Gowers, how do you feel after reading that paper?"

Gowers thought for a moment and asked suspiciously: "Edward, is this Luzhou your newly hired professor at Princeton University?"

Of course he wouldn't think that the other party was going through so much trouble, and just telling him this information must have ulterior motives.

Could it be that this Professor Lu is from Princeton?

"professor?"

Professor Edward on the other end laughed again, "Gowers, my old friend, you will definitely not be able to guess the identity of this author."

"Aren't you from Princeton University?" Gowers frowned and guessed, "Is it from the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton?"

"No."

"His name is Lu Zhou, and he is an undergraduate from China."

Then, Professor Edward said with excitement: "But you guessed right, this Lu will indeed join our Princeton University. Of course, not as a professor, but to come to Princeton to study for a doctorate."

Professor Gowers immediately stopped and twitched the corner of his mouth.

The old thing of feelings is just for showing off.

However, he was still shocked when he learned that the other party was an undergraduate.

"Really an undergraduate?" Professor Gowers asked in disbelief.

If an undergraduate can prove this difficult problem, his talent is limitless!

Professor Edward smiled and said deliberately: "And he is not an undergraduate in the Department of Mathematics. Lu's undergraduate major is electrical engineering. "

Gowers: "..."

He had underestimated this talent to be so powerful even though he was a monk halfway.

The talent-loving heart suddenly became angry, but then he sighed sadly.

The other party has already chosen Princeton University. Even if Cambridge University sends an invitation, it will be difficult to impress the other party.

Princeton University is not among the top ten in the world university rankings, and even its first place in mathematics was replaced by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. However, Princeton’s heritage is hard to underestimate.

Among the professors currently serving in the Department of Mathematics and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton alone, there are more than a dozen Fields Medal winners and Nobel economist winners combined.

For example, Professor Pierre Deligne and Professor Charles Fefferman, winners of the 1978 Fields Medal;

Professor Edward Witten, winner of the 1990 Fields Medal;

Professor Burguen, winner of the 1994 Fields Medal;

Professor Manuel Bhargava, winner of the 2014 Fields Medal, among others.

Not to mention the departing Professor Faltings (who proved Model’s conjecture and is now the director of the Max Planck Institute of Mathematics in Germany) and Professor Andrew Wiles (who proved Fermat’s Last Theorem and is now a professor at Merton College, Oxford University) ) and others.

After calming down, Gowers thought about something, blinked, and asked: "Edward, so who will be Lu's mentor? You, Professor Deligne or Professor Fefferman?"

"My old friend, who can say for sure?" Professor Edward smiled nonchalantly, "Of course this choice is left to Lu."

After chatting for a while, the call ended.

As for Professor Gowers, he walked directly back to his office.

Thinking of the conversation just now, Gowers was particularly interested in this classmate Lu who had heard his voice before seeing him.

As long as the other party does not die young, I am afraid that the mathematics world in ten years will be particularly exciting.

Gowers returned to the office and opened Twitter, which he rarely used.

Cut a picture of the title of the paper on arxiv, add a sentence and publish it.

"A very remarkable young man. I hope to have the opportunity to communicate with him."

ps: There is one more chapter, please vote for recommendation and monthly votes!

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