Chapter 902 I, Chang Haonan, send money
The award format for the seven difficult problems worked on by the Clay Mathematics Institute is also modeled after the Nobel Prize.
If multiple people work together to solve the problem, the prize money will be divided equally among the number of people.
So according to the principle, Chang Haonan and Perelman should each get $50.
In the original timeline, the latter went into seclusion directly after completing the proof, so the money was ultimately never given out.
However, because the situation in this life has changed drastically, no one can predict what decision Perelman will make.
But no matter what, Chang Haonan is still prepared to receive the bonus.
Not that he personally needed the half a million dollars for anything—
In fact, Chang Haonan can’t find any place in his daily life where he needs to spend money.
The main consideration is the symbolic meaning.
This is the first time in history that a scholar of Chinese nationality has won this top honor in the mathematics field.
Yes, top notch.
It must be admitted that the publicity campaign of the Clay Institute was very successful.
On the one hand, the seven questions they chose are indeed of high quality and widely recognized in the industry.
on the other hand……
The dramatic scene of "someone winning the prize almost at the same time as the award was announced" did objectively allow more people to understand the "Millennium Mathematical Problem".
Therefore, this award, which has never been awarded even once, has become far more well-known than other "old-fashioned" awards such as the Fields Medal and the Wolf Prize.
He even came close to winning the Nobel Prize.
It is said that the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters was also inspired by this and prepared to use a high prize money to award another mathematics award in 2002, the 200th anniversary of Niels Abel's birth.
In short, for the glory of the entire Chinese mathematics community, Chang Haonan finally decided to step forward and shoulder the heavy burden of $50...
Of course, having said that, the final situation will still depend on the results of discussions between the two parties.
Therefore, after careful consideration for a while, he replied to the other party with a sincerely worded email.
In the reply, he first paid some polite compliments to the Clay Mathematics Institute, then expressed his gratitude for the recognition of his research results. He was also willing to be one of the first recipients of this honor. However, he was currently in a critical stage of research on an important topic, so it was not convenient for him to leave Beijing. He hoped that this could be taken into consideration when designing the award method.
At the end of the email, Chang Haonan also kindly stated that if it is really inconvenient to present the award in China, then the prize money can be directly transferred to his account.
As for the rituals and such, I will add them later when it is convenient.
Simply put.
I, Chang Haonan, want money!
Almost immediately after replying to this email, he received a message from Perelman.
Or rather, asking.
[Chang, you should have received the email from the Clay Mathematics Institute, so I will not repeat its content. ]
[Personally, I have no particular interest in awards and prize money, and I believe you are the same. However, on the other hand, Russian mathematics history is not lacking in certain honors, so I can make a decision without restraint. However, the Chinese mathematics community may need you to step forward and accept this award, which I can understand.]
[Considering that the work that won the award was done by both of us, if I were the only one to refuse the award, it might put you in an unfair position. Therefore, I would like to ask for your opinion on accepting the award.]
【——Grigory Yakovlevich】
To be honest, Chang Haonan was a little touched when he saw this email which was written in a serious yet caring manner.
It can be seen that Perelman, the mathematician known as a "genius", really regarded him as a confidant.
"Ugh……"
After a long time, Chang Haonan sighed helplessly, and then started writing a reply again...
Yuan Xiangya, who was standing next to him, was originally planning to see the world and see what the communication process for awarding the Millennium Prize in Mathematics was like.
So after obtaining Chang Haonan's consent, he came over to peek at the screen.
As a result, I saw this email at first glance.
I've started to doubt my life a bit -
This is an award that others dream of receiving, but why does it feel like a hot potato to you two?
He thought to himself that if no one really wanted the $100 million, it would be okay to transfer the money to me...
……
In fact, it is clear that there is more than one person who doubts his life because of this incident.
If Yuan Xiangya was still just complaining in his heart, then Arthur Jeff, who was preparing for the award ceremony at the Clay Mathematics Institute, was almost going crazy at this moment.
In fact, he was very happy today because he received replies from these two semi-missing persons within half an hour of sending the letters.
result……
Joy begets sorrow.
After opening the email, I couldn't laugh anymore.
One of these two gods said that he didn't care about the form of the award, and asked him to decide directly with the other person and inform him of the result in the end.
And this other one...
He said he couldn't get away, and then he just threw a card number over...
Jeff was stunned by what he saw.
You know, for this award ceremony, they prepared a rather grand and complicated ceremony at the French Academy of Sciences, hoping to use it to further increase their popularity.
It would be best if we could recruit a few big guys.
In the end, Chang Haonan said he didn’t want to go abroad?
No matter what, it is absolutely impossible to transfer money directly.
They set up this award to promote themselves, not for charity.
To put it another way, even if it is charity, you have to meet the other party in person before you give the money.
Jeff didn't even know what Chang Haonan looked like, and all they had been communicating with was through email.
What if the person on the other side is not Chang Haonan himself, but a liar?
So there must be a ceremony.
In fact, logically speaking, Chang Haonan's response can be regarded as a refusal to accept the award.
After all, the way the award is presented is also part of the conditions for winning the award.
To receive the prize, you must comply.
But some things don't make sense.
The question of whether the Poincare conjecture is counted as one of the seven major mathematical problems actually caused quite a stir last year.
Some of them were promoted by sponsor Landon Cray himself.
So now the eyes of people all over the world are focused on the Clay Mathematics Institute, waiting to see whether you are really prepared to pay as promised.
At this time you come out and say that both winners refuse to accept the award?
Who believes it?
A hundred mouths can't explain it.
Therefore, this award must be given out no matter what.
But there is another problem.
I can’t go to Beijing just because you tell me to.
It would be too embarrassing to rush to China to present the award just because of an email from Chang Haonan.
And it will be a very bad start.
What if the next award recipients follow suit? Wouldn't the Cray Institute be left handing out money on their knees?
So, you have to find a suitable excuse.
Jeff's mind began to race.
After a few seconds, he turned his head and looked at his assistant not far behind him:
"Jessica, has the International Congress of Mathematicians next year been decided where it will be held?"
Jessica thought for a moment:
"Currently, the choice is between Beijing, Madrid, Bangalore, and Seoul. The final result has not yet come out, but it is almost certain that it will be China's capital."
"call--"
Hearing this answer, Jeff finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That would be easy.
Because the specific award rules have not been announced yet, so, as long as the other contents remain unchanged, the award ceremony location will be changed from the fixed French Academy of Sciences to the International Congress of Mathematicians.
It's not that we are easy to talk to, it's just that ICM happened to be located in Beijing, don't get me wrong.
That’s how the Fields Medal is awarded anyway.
Thinking of this, Jeff quickly returned to the homepage of his mailbox and began to write an email to his boss, Landon Clay, explaining the cause of the situation and requesting a change in the award plan...
"Ugh……"
After sending the email, the former leaned back in his chair with a sense of relief, his eyes almost out of focus, staring straight ahead.
"too difficult."
He said to himself:
“It’s fine that it’s hard to make money, but why is it so hard to give money away…”
