logoalt Hacker News

The 92-Year-Old Mathematician and the Teenage Apprentice

168 pointsby robinhoustonlast Sunday at 10:27 PM14 commentsview on HN

Comments

ziyao_wyesterday at 6:59 PM

Beautiful article. Reading this after having mixed feeling and honestly a bit depressed about the Navier-Stokes situation feels almost like therapy, and I had to try really hard to hold back tears.

The Riverside Park has always been beautiful but particularly this time of year. Maybe I should pay a visit again, sitting on a bench thinking thoughts.

ovejayesterday at 6:02 PM

Very lovely story. As noted in the article I couldn't help but feel it was a mirror to the story of Ramanujan.

kenjacksonyesterday at 5:04 PM

What a great story! I'm not sure why I felt teary eyed reading it, but I was. If you're here in the comments but haven't read it -- it is worth the read.

bagelcollietoday at 5:52 AM

Beautiful story.

> Dr. Breuillard had been leading an effort to solve the question with the help of an A.I. chatbot. That humans appear to have sorted it out first — and these three particular humans — “almost feels like a blessing,” he said.

This is such a contrast to current OpenAI controversy: https://bbc.com/news/articles/cy7zygy3rl2o

jgordyesterday at 8:03 PM

Stunning, heart-warming read.

This is possibly more exciting and of more future value than solving Navier Stokes.

It also shows us a way, when it seems we are lost.

vladmkyesterday at 4:17 PM

Hard to read all the gated content :-(

show 1 reply
heikkilevantoyesterday at 10:40 PM

Interesting article. Pity it was so full of human factors, and so low on actual mathematics.

show 1 reply
mrmarketyesterday at 9:39 PM

In spite of it all I do love human obsessives, with all their charming inefficiencies. This made me want to work as hard as I can on something important to me. I’m going to spend the night reading poems. And a great reminder of the value of a good mentor

PunchTornadoyesterday at 8:41 PM

Such a nice story to take us out of the news cycle of ai in math

fgbxdfgbdrgeyesterday at 9:22 PM

[flagged]