Thesis Topic Selection

"I should start thinking about my thesis topic now."

Xiao Yi thought to himself.

It was already the end of April. There was just over a month left until the Gaokao, and only four months until classes started at USTC.

For him now, the Gaokao wasn't a major concern. The knowledge from high school presented no difficulties for him anymore.

Mathematics was a given; if he didn't get a perfect score, he'd eat his textbooks on the spot. As for English, after just one month of study, his score had jumped from 130 to 144. By the time of the Gaokao, English would be a non-issue. Science Comprehensive was similar to Mathematics; if he didn't get a perfect score, he'd eat his books. Chinese Language was basically the only subject that required some luck.

Overall, he was aiming for the Top Scholar title in this year's Gaokao.

The only pity was that even if he became the Top Scholar, he couldn't apply to any university other than the USTC Young Scholars Program. As a sophomore, he wasn't eligible to take the Gaokao.

This was a form of protection for the juniors, as universities had limited enrollment slots each year. Allowing non-juniors to participate would significantly squeeze the opportunities for the juniors.

However, despite the regret, Xiao Yi had no complaints.

He knew very well that while environment might be important in learning, one's own ability was far more crucial.

Now, with a 12x learning efficiency boost, the influence of the environment was no longer a significant factor.

With the Gaokao out of the way, the remaining task was to write a thesis before starting university.

"Completing a thesis in four months..."

Actually, this was quite simple for Xiao Yi. He recalled the paper Hu Guangde had him read, "Convergence of Riemann Integrals and Lebesgue Integrability." Objectively speaking, even without ever writing a thesis, he could churn out several papers a day – depending on his typing speed.

But clearly, such papers wouldn't meet the requirements for a "Core Journal."

And even if they barely met the threshold for a Core Journal, they weren't Xiao Yi's goal.

As his first thesis, he hoped for a good outcome.

At the very least, when he looked back years later, he wouldn't feel too embarrassed by the immaturity in the paper.

"Maybe I should ask Professor Liu Bin for advice. See if he has any suggestions."

Finally, Xiao Yi made his decision.

When writing a thesis for the first time, asking a teacher was always the right choice.

He took out his phone. Students' phones were kept by the homeroom teacher during school days and could only be taken home.

But now, these rules were a thing of the past for Xiao Yi. In fact, he could even go to the principal's office this afternoon to collect a laptop.

He pulled out his phone and called Professor Liu Bin.

The call connected quickly.

"Xiao Yi, what a surprise to get a call from you," Liu Bin asked with a smile.

Xiao Yi stated his purpose: "Professor Liu, I'm ready to start writing my thesis, but I'm having trouble choosing a topic and was hoping for your advice."

Liu Bin sounded surprised. "You're already preparing to write your thesis?"

"Yes," Xiao Yi replied. "After all, there are only four months left."

Liu Bin paused. At that moment, he really wanted to tell Xiao Yi the truth: that he didn't need to worry about admission even if he didn't write a Core Journal-level thesis.

Four months to complete a high-quality thesis for a novice who had never published a paper before – Liu Bin couldn't imagine it.

He had been quite outstanding in his youth, publishing several mathematics papers during his undergraduate studies. However, his first paper took nearly a year to complete, and it didn't even come close to a Core Journal; it was just a general publication.

Although Xiao Yi's performance was indeed much better than his own back then, he still didn't think Xiao Yi could accomplish this, even with what Academician Hu Guangde had told him.

Of course, regardless of the outcome, he strongly approved of Xiao Yi's decision to start writing his thesis. Regardless of the final quality, it would provide Xiao Yi with valuable experience in academic writing.

It was like how most university professors would explain the benefits of writing papers to freshmen, even though over ninety percent of students would forget about it later.

"So, do you have any areas you're interested in writing about now?"

"Algebra? Geometry? Or Number Theory?"

Xiao Yi pondered for a moment, recalling the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem he had read. Then he said, "Number Theory."

"Oh? Number Theory?" Liu Bin's tone rose. He smiled and asked, "There's a saying in mathematics: Number Theory is the game of geniuses. Hmm... it does seem quite fitting for you."

"But why did you choose Number Theory?"

Xiao Yi replied, "I read Andrew Wiles' paper proving Fermat's Last Theorem. That paper sparked a strong interest in Number Theory for me."

Hearing Xiao Yi's words, Liu Bin was taken aback.

He asked in astonishment, "What? You read Andrew Wiles' paper proving Fermat's Last Theorem? The original paper? Or did you find the proof process online?"

"The original paper," Xiao Yi answered.

"There were two papers, both published in Annals of Mathematics, Volume 141, Issue 3, in 1995."

Xiao Yi sighed, "I saw that Annals of Mathematics usually publishes four or five papers per issue, but that issue only had these two papers. Is this the treatment for papers that solve world-class mathematical problems?"

Hearing Xiao Yi's words, Liu Bin let out a sharp intake of breath.

Xiao Yi's ability to mention Annals of Mathematics and to note that only Andrew Wiles' two papers on the proof of Fermat's Last Theorem were published in that issue proved that Xiao Yi had indeed read the original papers.

And that was far more remarkable than reading simplified and summarized versions published later.

This kid... he can actually read the original proof of Fermat's Last Theorem?

"The 40 books I gave you... have you finished them all?"

Xiao Yi replied, "I've already started the second read-through. In a few more days, I'll finish that too."

Reading it a second time should be faster than the first, but because he also had papers to read, his progress had slowed down considerably.

Still, Liu Bin couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He'd finished the first read-through and was willing to start a second.

This kid truly loved Mathematics!

Perhaps, he really had a chance to write a paper at the level of a Core Journal on his very first attempt?

Afterward, Liu Bin said, "Alright, since that's the case, I'll recommend some topics in number theory for you."

Seeking collection and recommendation votes!!