Chapter 831 Jubilee Math Puzzle

After Zhou Qingzhi's opening remarks, it was naturally the turn of Zhang Hongbiao, the attending leader, to speak.

After he said this, the faces of several people from the Civil Aviation Administration became even darker.

Chang Haonan had no doubt that if it weren't for the direct approval from his superiors, C808 would probably not even be able to find its second launch user, Bashu Airlines.

However, this is not important anymore.

After all, the reason why the Civil Aviation Administration was established as a separate unit was not just to manage a few airlines.

More importantly, we want to rely on it to coordinate the development of China's entire civil aviation industry.

As a result, you coordinate everything and act as fiercely as a tiger.

The results in the last 20 years were not as good as those in the next two years.

Now that the second half of the functions have been handed over to the Science and Technology Commission, there is naturally no need to retain such a large team.

Therefore, the Civil Aviation Administration should soon adjust from a directly affiliated bureau to a second-level bureau under relevant ministries and commissions, divesting most of its administrative functions to become a relatively simple business department.

It won't pose any threat anymore.

This is why Chang Haonan told Zhang Hongbiao just now that Hufei’s most important task now is to deliver orders with guaranteed quality and quantity.

Although regional jets are unlikely to become mainstream in a country like China with its population size and land area, even if they only fly to some border areas and routes to the central and western regions, it is enough to support this model.

As long as it can continue to operate stably and safely for a few years, with the support of FAA and EASA airworthiness certification, exporting will almost be a matter of course.

Plus some military platforms and special aircraft orders...

It is no exaggeration to say that the better days are yet to come.

After the celebration ceremony, there is naturally the routine banquet session.

However, Hufei can be said to have come up with something unique this time.

Neither high-end hotels nor group restaurants were chosen.

Instead, the banquet venue was set up directly in an open-air location near the final assembly workshop.

In mid-April in Shanghai, the weather is just cool but not cold.

A gentle breeze blew, and not far away were the five passenger planes that were the protagonists of today's celebration...

It’s a different kind of experience.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Chang Haonan raised his glass to Zhou Qingzhi and the United Airlines representative next to him.

"Then, I wish you a successful first commercial operation!"

……

Meanwhile, across the ocean.

Clay Mathematics Institute, Massachusetts.

Early in the morning, Landon Clay hurried into the office of Arthur Jeff, the director of the institute and professor of mathematics at Harvard University.

As soon as he entered the door, he placed a newspaper in front of the latter, and then sat down on the sofa not far away:

"Arthur, next month, the French Academy will hold a millennial mathematics conference. We have to make some noise."

The two co-founded the institute two years ago.

Since the investor and sponsor Clay's main occupation is a businessman, the daily work of the institute is handled by Jeff.

However, the former is the financial backer after all, and still has a say in key matters.

The Clay Institute says it is a non-profit organization, but as we all know, non-profit does not mean not making a profit.

Landon Clay invested a lot of money in the research institute, partly because he was somewhat interested in mathematics, a subject he did not understand very well.

But the more important purpose is to gain a certain influence in the academic circle.

Objectively speaking, he was quite successful in this regard.

Although only two years have passed since the establishment of the institute, it has already gained some fame in the circle of theoretical mathematics.

Even some well-known mathematicians will at least have some impression of the name Langdon Cray.

If it is in public, people will also say a few words of "high praise" out of courtesy.

Mathematicians also need to eat.

However, Clay himself is still not satisfied with the current situation.

He has always hoped that his Clay Institute could become a world-class research institution like the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. Even if its level is not top-notch, at least its influence must be top-notch.

"Make some noise?"

Jeff picked up the newspaper and quickly scanned the report:

"Langton, you know, mathematical research requires inspiration."

"There's only a little over a month left, and I can't guarantee you that I'll produce something that will shock the world."

"Um……"

Clay was a little frustrated, but he knew that the other party was right.

When it comes to mathematics, you won't necessarily get results just because you're willing to spend money.

At least not within the allotted time limit.

"Originally, I was planning to hold a Millennium Mathematical Conference in the name of the Institute at the end of last year, but Princeton got there first, and this time it's the French Academy..."

"If we continue to delay, the Millennium, this window of time that has attracted worldwide attention, will soon pass..."

From late 1999 to the first half of 2000, the millennium celebrations were relatively normal.

But if you were still celebrating the millennium in the second half of the year 2000...

It seems rather strange.

Therefore, there is not much time left for Clay.

Seeing his old friend and financial sponsor looking anxious, Jeff had no choice but to start thinking.

As a mathematician, he quickly came up with a wild idea:

"Landon, maybe... we can change our thinking."

"Perhaps you have heard that one hundred years ago, in 1900, David Hilbert proposed 23 difficult mathematical problems at the Second Congress of Mathematicians?"

In fact, Landon Clay had not heard of it.

Of course he knew Hilbert, but that was all he knew.

However, this did not affect his ability to understand what the other party meant.

"You mean, I... uh... our research institute can also raise some mathematical problems and call on mathematicians to solve them?"

Arthur Jeff shook his head, seeming to be somewhat helpless about Clay's overestimation of his own abilities:

"It's definitely not enough to just call for help. Hilbert was already a world-renowned mathematician in 1900. It's only natural that someone would respond to his 23 difficult mathematical problems. Our institute..."

At this point, he looked up at Clay on the sofa:

"Our institute is just a name, not a reputation...so if we want to have enough influence, we need some extras."

"You mean... a reward?"

"Yes, the bigger the amount, the better."

Jeff replied.

"So... one hundred thousand dollars?"

Clay asked tentatively.

"puff--"

Jeff almost spit out the coffee he had just drunk.

"One hundred thousand dollars is not enough?"

Clay felt his scalp tingling.

You know, although he provides a large amount of funding to the institute every year, this sponsorship of scientific research is actually a way of tax avoidance, which means that he does not really lose much money.

But if a reward is offered, the money will be spent lavishly.

"One hundred thousand dollars is indeed a lot, but if you want a gimmick, it is definitely not enough."

Jeff replied:

"At least a million dollars."

"Hiss...what if I also propose 23... million US dollars?"

"no……"

Jeff shook his head like a rattle:

"First of all, there are probably no more 23 math problems with enough weight for you to offer a reward."

"Secondly, since it's a bounty, you only need to pay after it's solved. You don't think that those math problems that have been left until now will be easily solved, right?"

"If we raise the difficulty level of the problem a little bit, such as the Hodge conjecture, the Riemann hypothesis, the analytical solution of the NS equation, and the Poincare conjecture, I estimate that no one will be able to solve them in a few decades. By then, you can just keep your reward hanging..."

After some explanation, Clay realized that this idea was indeed feasible.

Then, he thought that since the problems listed by Hilbert were called "mathematical problems of the century", the problems he offered a reward for solving must have a more impressive name.

"How about we call these problems the 'New Millennium Prize Problems', or the 'Millennium Mathematical Problems'?"

"You're the one paying, so I don't mind what you call it."

Jeff's eyes also shone with excitement and ambition:

"But I hope it will be up to me to decide what issues are included in the reward."