@import "misc/drupal.css"; @import "modules/sidecontent/sidecontent.css"; @import "themes/jwftheme/style.css"; home misc about empathy ... extropy Home Subcategories: Energy Efficiency Extropy ... Riemann hypothesis 143-Year-Old Problem Still Has Mathematicians Guessing The Riemann hypothesis, first tossed off by Bernhard Riemann in 1859 in a paper about the distribution of prime numbers, is still widely considered to be one of the greatest unsolved problems in mathematics, sure to wreath its conqueror with glory and, incidentally, lots of cash. Two years ago, to celebrate the millennium, the Clay Mathematics Institute announced an award of a million dollars for a proof (or refutation) of the hypothesis. Whether in pursuit of glory, cash ("prizes attract cranks," one mathematician sniffed) or pure mental satisfaction, more than a hundred of the world's leading mathematicians came to New York City recently to attend an unusual conference at New York University's Courant Institute. While most math conferences are devoted to presenting completed work, this one was held for mathematicians to swap hunches, warn of dead ends and get new ideas that could ultimately lead to a solution. "One of the things we hope to do is to consolidate the approaches," said Dr. Brian Conrey, a professor of mathematics at Oklahoma State University and executive director of the American Institute of Mathematics, a private group that organized the meeting with support from the Courant Institute and the National Science Foundation. "We're looking for brand-new ideas with which to open the door." | |
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