That reminds me of this story of a group of guys who tried to use a computer built into their shoes to predict how the ball on a roulette table would behave. A fascinating, and true story.
Posted on 05/26/2012 3:07:20 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
A 16-year-old schoolboy has solved a mathematical problem which has stumped mathematicians for centuries, a newspaper report said. The boy put the historical breakthrough down to “schoolboy naivety.”
Shouryya Ray, who moved to Germany from India with his family at the age of 12, has baffled scientists and mathematicians by solving two fundamental particle dynamics problems posed by Sir Isaac Newton over 350 years ago, Die Welt newspaper reported on Monday.
Ray’s solutions make it possible to now calculate not only the flight path of a ball, but also predict how it will hit and bounce off a wall. Previously it had only been possible to estimate this using a computer, wrote the paper.
Ray first came across the old problem when his secondary school, which specializes in science, set all their year-11 pupils a research project.
On a visit to the Technical University in Dresden pupils received raw data to evaluate a direct numerical simulation – which can be used to describe the trajectory of a ball when it is thrown.
When he realised the current method could not get an exact result, Ray decided to have a go at solving it. He puts the whole thing down to “schoolboy naivety” - he just refused to accept there was no answer to the problem.
“I asked myself: why can’t it work?” he told the paper.
Ray has been fascinated by what he calls the “intrinsic beauty“ of maths since an early age, according to the report. The boy was inspired by his engineer father who began setting him arithmetic problems at the age of six.
He recently won a youth science competition at the state level in Saxony and won second place in the Maths and IT section at the national final.
Originally from Calcutta, Ray couldn’t speak a word of German when he came to Dresden four years ago – but now he is fluent. Since then, he was moved up two classes in school and is currently sitting his Abitur exams two years early.
But Ray doesn’t think he’s a genius, and told the paper he has weak points as a mathematician, as well as in sports and social sciences.
Ray, whose recent breakthrough may have earned him a paragraph in the schoolbooks of the future, is currently deciding whether to study maths or physics at university.
Will any Americans have any achievements like this? Maybe if they’re homeschooled.
Since then, he was moved up two classes in school and is currently sitting his Abitur exams two years early.
The Abitur two years early, that’s impressive.
It’s likely below him. but can we send him to DC to teach them basic math.. like how to balance a check book?
42
I clicked on the local progressive radio station this morning and they were doing a show on how conservatives are purposely dumbing down the public school system to deny children the education of how to use critical thinking.
It’s that kind of attitude, “We didn’t know it couldn’t
be done, so we just did it.”, that used to be the norm
for Americans. Now our kids are all indoctrinated not to
be better than others or someones feelings will be hurt.
If Obama had a son it would neither look nor act like him.
“Ray first came across the old problem when his secondary school, which specializes in science, set all their year-11 pupils a research project.
On a visit to the Technical University in Dresden pupils received raw data to evaluate a direct numerical simulation – which can be used to describe the trajectory of a ball when it is thrown.”
Meanwhile in America ..
Cool
Maybe he can figure out how to eliminate communists
That reminds me of this story of a group of guys who tried to use a computer built into their shoes to predict how the ball on a roulette table would behave. A fascinating, and true story.
Is this one of the big seven math questions?
He’s too late. Obama solved this but before Al Gore.
Maybe the israelies can use this to help them drop bombs on iran.
If you know the math, the physics is easy.
Maybe if one of our universities offers him a nice scholarship—and then our immigration policies allow him to stay and become a citizen.
That’s the way the ball bounces.....
He’s not in to politics, even though I agree Congress needs his math skills.
“Maybe the israelies can use this to help them drop bombs on iran.”
Especially if the bomb bounces off The Dinnerjacket’s house first and then explodes!
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