Is Math a Young Man's Game?

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Posted by michael on Saturday May 17, 2003 @12:15AM from the women-not-invited dept.

Bamafan77 writes "Slate has an interesting article on the relationship between the productivity of mathematicians and age. The conventional belief is that most significant mathematical leaps are all made before the age of 30. However, the author gives pretty compelling reasons for why this once may have been true, but is definitely not the rule now. Two of his more interesting pieces of evidence include Grigori Perelman's (probable) proof of the Poincare Conjecture at 40 and Andrew Wile's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem at 41."

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I agree, math's a young man's game by Anonymous Coward · 2003-05-17 00:22 · Score: 4, Funny

I completely agree that math is a young man's game.

I'm so old, I lost count. Damn wippersnappers and their meaningless symbols.
1. Re:I agree, math's a young man's game by Subcarrier · 2003-05-17 01:26 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  The conventional belief is that most significant mathematical leaps are all made before the age of 30.
  
  That sounds about right. According to another study, mathematicians reach their prime just before discovering sex, after which it is all downhill. It will give the old codgers some solace to know that they can expect a brief comeback after their wives stop having sex with them.
  
  --
  "I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." -- George H. W. Bush
It is obvious why this is the case.. by Anonymous Coward · 2003-05-17 00:26 · Score: 5, Funny

When you get married and have some kids it is real hard do get any work done..

"Okay Dear I'll mow the lawn now"

I also suspect the growing complexity of screensavers as a factor..
I prove you wrong! by morganjharvey · 2003-05-17 00:30 · Score: 3, Funny

Two of his more interesting pieces of evidence include Grigori Perelman's (probable) proof of the Poincare Conjecture at 40 and Andrew Wile's proof of Fermat's Last Theorem at 41.
Yes, but at the tender age of 22, I can not only add my bar tab together, but also figure an appropriate tip.
Young people can't do hard math my ass.
1. Re:I prove you wrong! by spyderbyte23 · 2003-05-17 00:43 · Score: 2, Funny
  Yes, but at the tender age of 22, I can not only add my bar tab together, but also figure an appropriate tip. Young people can't do hard math my ass.
  A single example is not a proof. You can use a single counterexample to disprove a statement:
  
  For all members of the group "young people," none can do hard math.
  
  I am in the group "young people" and can do hard math.
  
  The proposition is disproved; there exist members of the group "young people" who can do hard math.
  Note, however, that (3) does not prove that all members of the group "young people" can do hard math.
  --
  -- Support Ometz le-Serev.
2. Re:I prove you wrong! by morganjharvey · 2003-05-17 00:58 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  A single example is not a proof
  
  EXACTLY!!!
  The proof comes from the side of the bottle. You should tip the bartender more the higher the proof.
  
  I'm going to hell for that one...
Phases of Life... by Anonymous Coward · 2003-05-17 00:32 · Score: 4, Funny

0 to 5: Curious phase
5 to 15: Productive phase
15 to 40: Reproductive phase (some like to begin early and post longer :-)
40 to 60: Consumer phase
60 to ...: Irrelevant phase (atleast that's how it's treated by others)
Re:The problem is with modern mathematics... by bj8rn · 2003-05-17 00:58 · Score: 5, Funny

You'll say now: "That's not possible nobody can visualized 4 dimensional spaces."
An architect, a physicist and a mathematician were asked whether they could imagine a 4-dimensional space.
The architect said: "That's impossible! I can't draw that!"
The physicist said: "Well, that can be done, if we say that time is the fourth dimension..."
The mathematician said: "Let us imagine an n-dimensional space. Now, let n equal four..."

--
Hell is not other people; it is yourself. - Ludwig Wittgenstein
An evolutionary biologist says... by Saint+Stephen · 2003-05-17 01:04 · Score: 4, Funny

It's simple: Young mathemetician's aren't getting laid -- so they work like hell on on their maths. Since male sex drive peaks at 18, the less sex drive you have, the less driven you are to find another way to spend the time.

Or maybe they got married and their wife nags at them to death and ruins their concentration.
1. Re:An evolutionary biologist says... by sonoronos · 2003-05-17 01:48 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  I don't know about you, but my sex drive hasn't peaked yet. Then again, I'm an engineer...
Who thinks 40 is not young? by Call+Me+Black+Cloud · 2003-05-17 01:07 · Score: 4, Funny

I can't believe that statement! I'll have you know that at 38 I'm just as...um...uh...what was I going to say? Hey, today's Saturday! The buffet has the early bird special today for dinner at 4pm! I'd better get the oil changed in my Oldsmobile first...

The truth is I don't feel any older than I did at 25 (still like the same age women as a matter of fact), I'm in better shape than I was then, and if coding skills are any indication I'm sharper than my 20-ish coworkers. So there!

Now if you'll excuse me I have to knock back my Ensure before I chase the kids off my lawn.
Re:Andrew Wile by Paul87 · 2003-05-17 01:40 · Score: 4, Funny

I have discovered a truly remarkable link for that book which this margin is too small to contain.
"Math" Arrrrrgggghhhh!!!!! by CowboyBob500 · 2003-05-17 01:56 · Score: 2, Funny

OK, I've got karma to burn so mod me down, but...

The abbreviation "math" really grates on me (outside the US it's called "maths"). It's not mathematic, it's mathematics.

Don't get me started on sulfur either...

Bob

--
Listen to my latest album here
Re:The problem is with modern mathematics... by tuxedo-steve · 2003-05-17 02:21 · Score: 3, Funny

Mensa member, beware of the high IQ
Pretentious Mensa member, beware of the masturbation. For those of you in the first few rows, safety goggles have been provided.

--
- SMJ - (It's not just a name: it's a bad aftertaste.)
Modern Elders of Science by MisterMook · 2003-05-17 02:33 · Score: 2, Funny

Of course the real reason that scientists might make more discoveries at advanced age than in past times is simple. Viagra. What's more inspiring than getting some tail?
Re:Science, Math, and Age by spyderbyte23 · 2003-05-17 03:37 · Score: 3, Funny

While the popular depiction of Einstein is as a genial old man with wild gray hair, I'd argue that most of his best work was accomplished by the age of 36.
Briefly: Einstein is in the audience at a physics conference. The attendee next to him suddenly pulls out a small notebook, jots something down, and replaces it. Einstein asks, "What's that for?"
The other attendee replies, "I carry that in case I have an idea, so I can write it down and not forget it.
Einstein nods thoughtfully and says, "I see. Something like that wouldn't help me, of course. I have only had one or two ideas in my entire life."

--
-- Support Ometz le-Serev.
Senility by Charles+Dodgeson · 2003-05-17 04:39 · Score: 2, Funny

As Paul Erdos (active until his 80s) used to like to say:
The first sign of senility is when you forget your theorems. The second sign is when you forget to zip up. The third sign is when you forget to zip down.

--
Prime numbers are exactly what Alan Greenspan says they are -S. Minsky
Re:Andrew Wiles at age 41 by fishbowl · 2003-05-17 05:35 · Score: 2, Funny

>killed himself at age 31. A year after his
>mathematical prime.

30 is not prime.

--
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.