Grigory Perelman, the Russian math genius who gained recognition for solving what was thought to be one of math’s most difficult problems, declined a $1 million prize the New York Times is reporting.
“I have refused,” The New York times quotes Perelman as saying, through Russian news agency, Interfax, “You know, I had quite a lot of reasons both for and against. That is why I took so long to make up my mind.”
“The problem, named after the great French polymath Henri Poincare,” the Times adds, “has led mathematicians on a frustrating chase for a century. It hypothesizes that any three-dimensional space without holes is essentially a sphere.”
Wait – what?
This math problem clearly is above and beyond the “car X is going east at 85 miles an hour, while car Y is travelling south at 70 miles an hour. Which will arrive at McDonald’s first and what will each driver order-type problem that I so often deemed, ‘impossible’ while suffering through my math homework.
The Times continues that while the world was racing to verify Pereleman’s proof, the mathematician “left his post at the Steklov Mathematical Institute, moved in with his mother, and ceased communicating with the outside world.”
Perelman was awarded the most prominent award in mathematics, a Fields Medal, but also failed to show up at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid to accept his prize.
The UK’s Telegraph reports that neighbors claim that Perelman lives in near poverty and remains unemployed, despite numerous job offers from several prestigious US universities. Dude, just take the money! It’s probably not too late!
The Clay institute has said they will announce this fall how they would spend the award money.
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