Old Wang

Biodata

Background / History

Teaching Career

By his introduction, Old Wang has taught for more than ten years. He teaches Qi Hao’s mathematical analysis class and supervises graduate students. Qi Hao understands his research to be in function theory and harmonic analysis, though this is presented as the student’s impression rather than a formal description of Wang’s specialty 4 14 17.

He encourages freshmen to enter the China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling despite their university’s weaker resources and competition record. Rather than denying those disadvantages, he argues that modeling ultimately depends on solving real-world problems, not the prestige of a student’s school 4.

Mentoring Qi Hao

Qi Hao first visits Wang’s office for help with a graph-coloring proof. Impressed by the freshman’s precise notation and knowledge of advanced theorems, Wang demonstrates a construction using topological ordering. He then recommends six or seven advanced graph theory and combinatorics books, offers access to his own collection, and invites Qi Hao to return with further questions 14 15.

During a later graduate seminar, Qi Hao supplies the correct approach to a spectral-gap problem that Wang’s graduate students cannot solve. Wang discusses the mathematics with him for nearly another twenty minutes, then assigns his graduate students fifteen-minute literature presentations after criticizing their preparation 16 17.

Wang recommends Qi Hao for Professor Zhou’s modeling team, but Zhou rejects the choice because Qi Hao is a freshman. After checking Qi Hao’s student file and learning that he needs part-time work, Wang arranges a tutoring position with the Fang family paying three hundred yuan per lesson 17 18 19.

The *Three-Body Problem* Game Proposal

Zhao Li repeatedly approaches Wang about consulting on the mathematical modeling for a Three-Body Problem game. Wang initially refuses, questioning whether Zhao’s foreign company can do the novel justice and insisting that its science-fiction concepts require scientific support rather than spectacle alone 14 15.

When Qi Hao arrives with a mathematical question, Wang makes Zhao wait nearly an hour while he helps the student. He subsequently grants Zhao ten minutes to explain the proposal, without promising to participate 15.

Academic Misconduct Investigation

When Qi Hao is accused of citing five nonexistent Soviet-era references, Wang defends his honesty before the university president and mathematics dean. He points out that Soviet academic material may simply be absent from online databases 32.

During the meeting, Wang learns that Qi Hao has independently secured acceptance of a sole-authored paper in Discrete Mathematics. His excitement briefly overwhelms the investigation’s seriousness, prompting the president to reprimand him. He becomes grave when warned that confirmed misconduct could result in journal blacklisting and damage Qi Hao’s research career 32.

Wang brings Qi Hao in for questioning and asks why he used Russian sources rather than English ones. He is incredulous that the freshman has taught himself enough Russian to read mathematical papers. Once the controversy has subsided, Dean Hu advises Qi Hao to have Wang review future manuscripts, suggesting that further polishing might have made the paper competitive for Q1 publication 33 39.

Imagine Cup and Industry Collaboration

Wang supports the university’s decision to send Qi Hao to the Microsoft Imagine Cup rather than the national modeling contest. When Qi Hao hesitates over the workload, Wang reveals the overall championship’s US$100,000 team prize, helping persuade him to participate. Wang and Professor Zhou are subsequently named advising professors 40 46.

Although Wang already collaborates with companies, he hopes to secure a project with Huaji and openly envies the stronger industry connections of other departments. That opportunity arrives when Huaji and Dafei offer twelve million yuan to establish a Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Computing and Control, conditional on Qi Hao taking charge of their project 41 44.

Wang helps negotiate the partnership, specifically requesting clear intellectual-property and research-ownership terms. Huaji agrees that the mathematics school will retain academic publication rights to the laboratory’s pure mathematical theories, basic algorithms, and proofs, subject to restrictions on trade secrets and private data 45.

At the Imagine Cup planning meeting, Wang proposes a drone project. When Zheng Qiang dismisses the importance of mathematical derivations, Wang challenges him to explain rotation-matrix updates through the exponential map. Qi Hao supplies the answer and is subsequently assigned leadership of the drone team 48 49.

Supporting Advanced Study

When Qi Hao expresses interest in tackling the Jacobian Conjecture, Wang initially considers warning him against aiming too high. Instead, he values the freshman’s willingness to attempt difficult research and lends him five advanced books. He is astonished when Qi Hao immediately sits down in his office and becomes absorbed in reading them 50.

Personality

Wang is approachable toward students who demonstrate genuine curiosity and effort. He welcomes Qi Hao’s questions, appreciates his willingness to admit uncertainty, and becomes increasingly enthusiastic during their mathematical discussions. His encouragement includes practical help, such as finding paid tutoring work when he realizes that Qi Hao’s finances are slowing his studies 15 17 19.

He is considerably harsher with underprepared graduate students. He openly rebukes faulty reasoning, calls out students individually, and assigns additional presentations when dissatisfied with their progress. His temper reflects high expectations: he contrasts their preparation unfavorably with Qi Hao’s self-directed learning 16 17.

Wang is outspoken, competitive on behalf of his department, and prone to irreverent humor. He enjoys Professor Zhou’s reversal over Qi Hao’s abilities and jokes about romantic motives for learning Russian during an otherwise serious investigation. Both the dean and president have to call him back to order 32 33 39 46.

Abilities & Skills

Mathematical Analysis and Proof Guidance

• Identifies topological ordering as the route to completing Qi Hao’s directed-acyclic-graph coloring proof 15.
• Leads graduate discussions involving spectral gaps, Rayleigh quotients, graph spectral radii, and partial-order width 16 17.
• Recognizes the mathematical role of rotation groups and exponential maps in drone attitude updates 49.

Teaching and Research Mentorship

• Recommends advanced reading tailored to Qi Hao’s immediate research problems 15.
• Makes his personal book collection available when library holdings are insufficient 15 50.
• Encourages English proficiency as preparation for reading research papers 15.
• Uses literature presentations to address weaknesses in his graduate students’ preparation 17.

Academic–Industry Negotiation

• Participates in establishing the Huaji–Dafei laboratory partnership 45.
• Raises publication rights and ownership of research results before the collaboration proceeds 45.
• Helps Dean Hu plan the project’s implementation after the companies agree to its framework 45.

Relationships

• Qi Hao — Undergraduate student and informal research mentee. Wang provides mathematical guidance, books, financial opportunities, and support during the misconduct allegations; he later becomes Qi Hao’s competition adviser 15 19 32 46 50.
• Liang Wenhao — Graduate student under Wang’s supervision. Wang criticizes his incorrect seminar answer and presses him to advance an assigned project 16 30.
• Professor Zhou — Colleague and fellow Imagine Cup adviser. Their frequent teasing reflects competition between the mathematics school and the Experimental College for Exceptional Talents 17 18 39 46.
• Dean Hu — Mathematics-school colleague and administrator with whom Wang negotiates and plans the joint laboratory 44 45.
• Zhao Li — Business representative seeking Wang’s consultation on a Three-Body Problem game. Wang remains skeptical of the proposal and gives academic mentoring priority over their meeting 14 15.
• Zheng Qiang — Competition participant whose dismissiveness toward Qi Hao and mathematical work irritates Wang 45 49.

Notable Quotes

“In modeling, what matters isn't your school's name, but your ability to solve real-world problems.” 4

“Then come find me anytime you have a question.” 15

“Holy shit! My student is awesome!” 32