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More on Riemann Hypothesis
Anonymous Coward writes "The NYTimes has a little story on a recent conference at New York University's Courant Institute where mathematicians gathered to discuss potential attacks on the Riemann hypothesis. The Clay Mathematics Institute had announced an award of a million dollars for a proof (or refutation) of the Riemann hypothesis during the millenial celebrations. That million dollars won't be worth much if it takes as long as that Last Theorem by Fermat to solve. There were some interesting observations such as the statistical distribution of the zeros looked just like calculations on the energy levels of large atoms." We did a related story on hard math problems two years ago.
BORING!
Next story!
Who stands a better chance at proving/refuting the hypothesis: mathematicians pushing chalk or an NSA supercomputer using brute force? After all, this has an application in encryption...
I do hope that a mathematician wins the prize money though.
"What is the sound of one belly slapping?"
I'm not sure it's a good idea to be publicizing this. To the common man, Scientists operate on a different level, providing insight and guiding humanity for our own greater good. People put their faith, their dreams, and yes, their tax dollars in Science. Science is to modern civilization what the Clergy was to our ancestors.
By holding such a high profile meeting about Scientists struggling with a single problem, we risk suggesting that maybe Scientists aren't all that bright. Sure, you and I, the average slashdot readers, know that the Riemann Hypothesis problem is really hard, and that there's no shame at all in all of these Scientists being completely at a loss. But if the public catches wind of such a perceived failure, they may lose faith.
This could set Science back centuries!
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
Great news!
And I've great news to tell you too. Slashdot posts can be several pages long (some are). You have plenty of room. Just make sure to include your name and GnuPG signature so you can collect your prize.
The world is wait for you...;-)
Is this some sort of assertion that the New York Times uses your email address to spam you? Because that's really ridiculous, I registered over 2 (3?) years ago, and I've never received an email I didn't specifically request from them.
I think I'll stop here.
Please ignore me. I haven't had my coffee yet. I don't know what I'm saying.
I am totally wrong.