World's a strange place, Chapter 218
The world is vast and full of wonders.
The world is dangerous; drive carefully for a long time.
Without delay, Shen Qi returned to his apartment and immediately submitted the Proof of Diophantine Equation Wash Conjecture to the online submission system of the Journal of the American Mathematical Society.
Among the many studies on Diophantine equation, the most famous are as follows:
The BSD, or Birch and Swinnerton-Dale conjecture, is one of the seven Millennium Prize Problem and remains unsolved to this day. (Hellish difficulty)
Fermat's Fermat's Last Theorem has been proven by British mathematician Andrew Wiles, and can now be used directly. (Nightmare level)
The Catalan conjecture, proven by the Romanian mathematician Michaillescu, is now known as Catalan's theorem. (Difficult level)
The proof of the Wash Conjecture solved a relatively difficult problem in the Diophantus equations. Shen Qi's research results are very meaningful, have certain mathematical value, and are consistent with his current level 9 mathematics qualification.
"Professor Mihailescu should be at least a level 10 master, and Professor Wiles, Fields Medal winner, is estimated to be at level 14. The BSD is ranked second in difficulty among the seven Millennium Prize Problem, second only to the Hodge conjecture. To prove the BSD, one would need to be at level 15."
Shen Qi was not complacent about successfully proving the Wash Conjecture. In front of true mathematical giants, he was just an ordinary nobody, at most a minor genius.
Regardless, Shen Xiaoniu was very happy today, having made a successful start after arriving at Princeton.
Although it's only been an internal effort and the official results haven't been published, Shen Qi believes everything is moving in a positive direction.
There is an unofficial ranking of the difficulty of solving the seven Millennium Prize Problem, which has been recognized by most mathematicians worldwide.
The seven Millennium Prize Problem, ranked from most difficult to least difficult, are:
1. Hodge conjecture
2. BSD
3. Poincaré conjecture
4. Navier-Stokes equations
5. P versus NP problem
6. Yang-Mi equation
7. Riemann Hypothesis
The Russian mathematician Perelman, who proved the Poincaré conjecture, was a giant in his own right. He was a low-key person, but he was a true master.
Shen Qi, a rising star, dared not attempt the Millennium Prize Problem that were ranked too high, so he started with the Riemann Hypothesis, which was ranked seventh. He had already begun doing so.
The topic of the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1) is not a direct proof of the Riemann Hypothesis; rather, it is a whetstone, its responsibility being to sharpen the great sword that launches the final assault.
Professor Muller's previous plan was for Shen Qi to be Mary's assistant, with the two working closely together to complete the research project.
Although both schools of thought share the same lineage, the Göttingen School, Shen Qi and Mary employ different approaches in their specific technical implementations, using two distinct methods to solve the problem of ζ(2n+1).
Professor Muller, as the mentor, still hoped to see a peaceful outcome, after all, Shen Qi and Mary were his students.
With the Wash Conjecture solved, Shen Qi focused his efforts on tackling the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1). Half a month later, he hoped to completely impress Professor Muller.
The organizational structure within Professor Muller's four-person research team is not complex.
Muller is the Boss (full professor level), Mary is very career-oriented, is the second eldest (doctoral teaching assistant level), Jonas is very senior but unambitious, is the third eldest (doctoral student), Shen Qi, who has just arrived, is currently ranked fourth (graduate student).
Shen Qi's sudden rise to prominence has threatened Mary's position as the second oldest. Although Mary is Shen Qi's Shen Qi research group leader, she cannot control Shen Qi and is instead ripped off by him.
Princeton is a place of reason and logic, a place where people with knowledge, culture, and academic strength can do whatever they want.
Shen Qi's paper, "Proof of Diophantine Equation Wash Conjecture," has been submitted to the Journal of the American Mathematical Society for a week, and the submission system shows that it has passed the initial review.
"Wow, Americans are so efficient!" Shen Qi was inexplicably excited. The Journal of the American Mathematical Society is one of the Top Four Journals, published only four times a year, with about ten mathematical papers published in each issue.
Publishing a paper in one of the four top international mathematics journals is extremely difficult. It is very rare for a graduate student's paper to be published in such a journal, occurring on average once every ten years, and in fact, only twice so far.
While pursuing his graduate studies at Princeton, Terence Tao published a paper in the Journal of Mathematics Sinica. At that time, he was not yet twenty years old, and he became the youngest full professor in UCLA history at the age of 24.
In the previous decade, while pursuing his graduate studies at the Clay Mathematics Institute, German Peter Schultz published a paper in "Inventiones Mathematicae." At the age of 24, he became the youngest mathematics professor at the University of Bonn, and also the youngest mathematics professor in German history.
During this decade, Shen Qi also wanted to experience what it was like to publish a paper in one of the four major mathematics journals while pursuing a master's degree.
Professor Muller's next academic meeting will be held in a few days.
Shen Qi met with Mary; it was Mary who invited him.
"Your proof of the Wash Conjecture is perfect, and the response on arVix is good." Mary looked increasingly haggard, with faint crow's feet appearing around her eyes.
"Mary, I didn't mean to target you. It's all for math." Shen Qi hadn't expected his small achievement to have such a big impact on Mary. Without comparison, there's no hurt; there's no way around it, it's all for math.
"Let's talk about the Riemann zeta function ζ(2n+1). At the academic meeting in a few days, I think we should compile a written report instead of two." Mary didn't have much confidence when she said this, but she still said it anyway, after all, she was Shen Qi's group leader and she was mainly responsible for this project.
"May I take a look at your latest research progress?" Shen Qi asked.
Although Mary had shown signs of yielding, Shen Qi still wasn't completely at ease with her. "If you let me see your paper first, then I'll consider it."
"You have the right to do that." Mary unzipped her bag and handed her thesis to Shen Qi.
Just then, Mary's phone rang. She made an apologetic gesture and answered, "Hello, Pete... What, you really mean it?"
After answering the phone, Mary looked even more haggard, and her extreme haggardness turned into anger.
Mary got up, went outside the coffee shop, and began screaming hysterically at the person on the other end of the phone.
A few minutes later, Mary returned to the coffee shop and sat down. Exhausted, she pretended nothing had happened. "Shen Qi, so what's your opinion on my paper?"
"I think you're in a really bad state right now. You should take a break and go on vacation." Shen Qi realized that Mary was a workaholic. Even though she had personal matters that were making her painful and exhausted, she tried her best to face reality as a strong woman.
Mary shook her head. "No, I'm more awake now than ever."
"Your full name is Mary Schultz -Schmidt, so which is your original surname?" Shen Qi asked.
"Schmidt."
"So your husband's name is Schultz?"
"Yes."
"German?"
"That's right."
"He's also in academia? I'm sorry, Mary, I shouldn't have pried into your privacy. You can choose not to answer."
He is a mathematics professor.
"Which university do you teach at?" Shen Qi seemed to have grasped something significant.
"The University of Bonn, my alma mater, his name is Peter Schultz," Mary said.
"Schultz, who won 11 Math Prize?"
"Yes."
"I knew it..." Shen Qi's doubts were resolved, but a new question immediately arose, "Your husband is a mathematical genius; he won the Cole Prize, the highest award in number theory. So, Mary, you should ask your husband about problems in Analytic Number Theory, like the Riemann zeta function. Why are you asking me? I haven't won a single award, except for the International Mathematical Olympiad."
Pete Schultz is an award-winning maniac, a freakish genius who even made Shen Qi's senior, God Yun, kneel in admiration. God Yun is the youngest full professor in Yale University's history.
In his twenties, Peter Schultz boasted that he would win more than ten Math Prize before he turned thirty.
He did it; he now holds a total of 11 Math Prize, including the PCP Prize, the Ramanujan Prize, the Clay Research Award, the Cole Prize, the Ostrowski Prize, the Fermat Prize, the Leibniz Prize, and more.
Besides the three major awards—F, W, and A— Schultz had practically swept up every Math Prize he could at his age; he was only thirty.
So the God Yun knelt before Schultz.
"He studies his, I study mine," Mary said coldly.