The Poincaré Conjecture

[UnitedPebbles]

Ok, it is official. The mathematics field is the cheapest for humankind to advance, until then we can then proceed to physics and then chemistry. But being laissez-faire since it is your money and your country, proceed as you wish.

I just assumed the Russians have concluded the same thing and so have focus many of it public funded young minds in field of mathematics so one day they can triumph the world at something, again.

[TheAcFox]

I'm in six grade maybe one day I will have the slightest idea of what any of this means

[SonOfNye]

He did not except the prize based on a very primal code of honor. Richard Hamliton recognized that the way to settle the conjecture was via the Ricci Flow, he just never figured out how to do it. Perelman felt that Hamilton deserved at least equal claim to the prizes offered, he believed his work was no more special than Hamilton's realizing the way to solve the problem. He felt that the praises to him were unwarranted because of this, he has what I would call a strong sense of justice.

[cheechcam]

@mathemaniac "A simply connected closed 3-manifold sounds complicated but trust me, once you've seen one you've seen them all." G. Perelman

[scrtg]

To simply give an air of plausibility.

[scrtg]

Which is really interesting is that the Chinese guy who claimed he was the first to solve the problem hasn't published his proof either. Was his role to simply an air of plausibility to the whole affair. Well, I am just wondering..

[scrtg]

@themjlc even the importance of Fermat's last theorem is, as you put it, apparent and relevant, although it has no practical application either. Ferma just formulated an algebraic law that says that numbers behave so and so. And again, which geometrical law did Poincare formulate? Are you sure he wasn't high when stating that a cup and a doughnut topologically are the same?

[scrtg]

@thenjlk and your statement that "the importance of ANY conjecture in mathematics may not be immediately apparent or relevant" is falacious. Any conjecture in math is invented for the convinience of calculation. For the convinience of what fucking calculation did Poincare invent his? What does it help prove?

[scrtg]

@themjlc don't be an idiot. Complex numbers were invented in trying to solve a practical problem and were useful in algebraic calculations from the very beginning. So your example is utterly inaccurate. What practical geometrical problem was Poincare solving when formulating his conjecture that I don't know. That the sphere is the simplest shape in ANY dimension? But there's only one material dimension 3d. The fourth and other higher dimensions are just delirious inventions

[RookieN08]

For this genius, spending his time on Maths and his family is more important than money. There's nothing wrong with rejecting 1million buck......Perelman's brain is PRICELESS lol

[scrtg]

@SushantBhargav tell us if you about the importance of this conjecture and also tell us why it should be proven at all?

[themjlc]

@scrtg The importance of any conjecture in mathematics may not be immediately apparent or relevant to your every day life but, in the future scientists will come across a problem where the Poincaré is the key to the solution. Think of complex numbers, at the time no-one had a clue how they would be used. Now we wouldn't understand electricity without them. The reason Perelman did not accept the medal or the money is probably because he felt the solution was reward enough.

[scrtg]

@SushantBhargav ok, you tell us what Perelman proved. Someone said he is a genius cuz he proved the Poincare conjecture. I want to see the proof. It is not available. Tomorrow they'll say he is a messiah should I believe it? The man turns down the prize money, acts like a bum and a moron and they say he is a genius.

[SushantBhargav]

he neither got what Poincaré is

nor why that Gregory refused to take the prize

he is just a tv guy who presents thing as if he knows what he is telling you.

[jjojjorge]

@SushantBhargav Undoubtedly; a clueless person. In his own life (Representations to him and of himself) he very likely perceives himself as smart, fun, etc, but in reality he is merely confident of his insecurities, evidenced by his fears and bitterness.

[scrtg]

By the way the guy in the vid proved the conjecture by just blowing the cube up. Isn't it enough? It has no practical application and one has to be a total idiot to turn down the money. And why refuse to publish the proof? Weird.

[herpolhode]

Delightful summary of Poincaire's theorm ... wouldn't have minded more math. They assume that one may not know much math, but can appreciate the pathways to fascinating results.

[exxalte]

a mathematican that doesn't understand that someone doesnt not want money_ heres a reason for you , you ever heard of religon and how they babble , its you and you babble about the indocrination that you gone through (this without even knowing or you are lying in tv)- You should honor Peralman.. but you cant cant you since he is a heretic really. (same as you for the biblebashers)

[MegaAntariksha]

I promis to solve d remaing six problems

[lukachomg]

my old math teacher told me a story. some student wanted to learn mathematics from an old greek mathematician(whos name i cant remember now). and the mathematician grabbed the student and pushed his head underwater. he struggled but got his head out. the mathematician told the student: when your body and mind ache for knowledge like they did for air i will teach you.

i think that some people just get so immersed in the beauty of math that their mind aches for the answer and no money can compare

[anandp1111]

Perelman didn't accept the reward because he believed (and was correct to an extent) that the world of mathematics was incredibly unfair and did not credit the many other mathmaticians (such as Richard Hamilton) without whose work the solving of this conjecture would have been impossible. Very noble in my opinion

[publicanimal]

I totally respect Perelman's decision not too take the money. He's essentially saying that compared to the triumph of solving the problem, which will reward mankind for the rest of human history, the reward itself is meaningless. He also doesn't feel that he can take 100% credit since he received help from a mathematician who is too old to receive the prize.

[juujuuuujj]

I think mr. Perelman has achieved another great thing here - confusing people who care too much about money.

[84Drumcircle]

@juujuuuujj

They way society is structured I dont think it is possible to not care about money or economics. Sadly it has become a means of survival, so it can get pretty serious when you family of four can't eat because you don't care too much about money. Apparently, and luckly in his case for now he doesn't care, or possibly need the money yet.....

[juujuuuujj]

@84Drumcircle I said "people who care too much about money", i.e. greedy people. I'm not talking about people who just want the resources to raise a happy family. It's unfortunate that you would conflate the two.

[vineetiitg]

@Corbon440: This ain't Physics. The loop illustration was to illustrate the manifold being simply connected.

[sakripanta]

he rejected the publishing because this poincare theory tells about time travel!

[Corbon440]

What if you place the loop at the exact center of the sphere? You try to close it so that it will slip to either side but it won't since it is dead center. Either the loop will snap or the sphere will collapse or turn into a dumbbell-like shape.

[megahertz23]

@Corbon440 Congrats! You just disproved 250 years of mathematics!

In more seriousness, we restrict these loops on the surface of our objects, or we run into the exact problem you postulate. Good question.

[h0wud0in2]

you ignorant idiots. A stupid reporter saying he understands!!!What this shows is that he doesnt even understand what it means to understand something...

[Airblader]

3:28 - this moment was great. It shows the general problem with math and laymen.

Laymen will probably never understand the complexity, the importance or the true beauty of math and it's unfair to expect them to do. Still, it's always nice to see ways to let them at least take a glimpse on it.

[skatty14]

Despite all of your dislike at the fact that he treats math somewhat condescendingly, I think it is great because he makes it more enjoyable and understandable. This allows "regular people" to get a glimpse into mathematics. Our society does have some serious math phobia issues, however.

[hoplite46]

so Hawking and Einstein never bothered with this problem??? Oid they not solve it??

[PrinceOfLogic]

@hoplite46 Hawking is a physicist, not a mathematician. So was Einstein. People expect too much of physicists when they expect them to solve (or even to be able to follow the solution to) this kind of a problem.

[hoplite46]

@PrinceOfLogic Thanks for clearing that up even the media haven,t got a clue about the difference between the too society is so dumbed down these days

[ttytty1234]

if you do the math.... a million is worth it !

[MrRaoulin]

einstien was a thief. FUCK JEWS

[Sepet3dalv]

i dont like the image they give of perelman, 'turning down a million bucks, that i'll never understand'. idiot

[Suzuhira1987]

recluses people are the best they have way... way..way to much time. good for him..should take the money and give to the needy xD thou (is what i would do if(IF) didn't want the money...)

[pfzzzer]

wow my life is so much better and less complicated! complicated math is like religion, a waste of time!

[theS70RM]

@pfzzer without maths you wouldn't have any of the things possible to make that comment, including the room you're sitting in.

*Our* lives would be so much better without your ignorance and negativity.

[lauroga]

you idiot, thanks to people who "wasted" their time with complicated math that today you can post comments on a YouTube website, drive a car, heat your food, use the ATM machine, talk on the cell phone, and so on.

[Blackmaildesigns]

No it isn't.

Just kidding.

[gerencem]

Bir milyon dolara benim ihtiyacim var Doctor Mathematikci neden almiyorki cozdugu denklem cok onemli o yuzden bu parayi veriyorlar zaten ben olsam 1 milyon dolari hemen alirdim

[ChrisPeeLee]

donky i respect ur opinion but u need to think more then twice before u say something bout people choices.....!

[SopelUK]

maths is amazing

[D0NKY]

Perelman is actually insane. Lives in a cockroach infested flat with a chair, table and dirty bed...Yikes.

[xpzwhisper]

getting a prize for somthing is nice but think he, in a good way, is sort a scientist who doesn't care about materialism which is messing up our world! Rather the idea

[behnamasid]

why didn't he accept the million, i that guy was me,

[namehisname]

@behnamasid Because these guys live on math, they are so into math that they basically dont care about money.

[SopelUK]

that means that material object have no impact on this person,

[Hengistnew]

Not a single word about the main tool: the Ricci flow that can be explained in first approximation, according to the heat equation, in simple manner. It is a serious lack even in a beginner exposition! Thank you anyway.

[owchywawa]

Don't watch this when you are hungry or you wont here a thing.

[TheHonorsClass]

The human body has five holes in the head that are connected to the digestive tract, so I think the we are topologically equivalent to 5-holed doughnut, not a torus.

[Arycke]

He was refering to the fact that we as human beings are deuterostomes, i.e. the blastopore becomes the anus, and that we are not simply connected beings because we have a bee-line going from the mouth to the anus :-) So, we would become a torus by the definition that was implicit in the video.

[Naturality]

Topology for plebians.

Didn't even mention the Ricci flow!(other than on the chalkboard)

I only really came to this video for the pronunciation. That's one thing books can't tell you!

[Thymonico]

Well, patricians usually know how to pronounce Poincaré without having to hear it from someone else!

Patricians also know how to spell "plebeians", goddang plebian-lover! XD

Hehehe, as a patrician I should know everything about Ricci flow, as it is essential to advanced differential geometry... However, I'm a newbie, so I'm excused... :P

[iginla12rulz]

AH yes finally. my life is complete. i now know the sphere is the simplest shape. YES! thank you jesus!

[pratish2005]

What the fuck is the matter with the presenter of the show? This is a serious question and he's behaving like a 5 yr. old annoying kid. Specially at the end. Real moron. Deliberately trying to be stupid..

[HypatiaTheon]

What exactly are you criticising for the presenter, sir?

[iginla12rulz]

hes making so its easier to present the question. honestly if they were talking about it in all mathematic terms it would be MUCH harder to understand

[mrqsilveira]

This is correct! Why is it so? Think of Kasparov playing chess with Deep Blue. For Kasparov panoramic view everything is much simpler... but it is Deep Blue who wins! Why? Why? Why?

[iginla12rulz]

wtf are you talking about

[vp1981ad]

@pratish2005 Well... I thought he was quite funny. I mean, this isn't a Nova documentary...

[joshjerphil]

@pratish2005 It's because he's trying to make the general public feel smart. To keep them watching. The general public is lazy and therefore stupid. Yes, I agree. It bothers the hell out of me too. Ever watch the History Channel?

[Tomfish3000]

@pratish2005 Chill. I can see where you're coming from, but in reality this is a program designed to interest the public and give a light-hearted explanation to something incredibly interesting that they otherwise wouldn't come into contact with. Enjoy the sharing of a beautiful concept, don't get fierce over the fact that the scientific community is no longer as elitist as it used to be.

[drastaify]

@pratish2005 you are so fucking stupid. HE WAS ACTING! HOW CAN YOU NOT GET THAT! WHAT A FUCKING DUMBASS!

[gorgolyt]

@pratish2005 1. no he wasn't

2. so sorry for not adopting a revered hush like i'm in a library whilst watching this video. stop being so serious yourself. the poincare conjecture is an abstract concept with no practical bearing on reality, one can be as silly about it as one likes.

[jjojjorge]

@pratish2005 That is because he is a hairy kid ... justly as the average person of either to-day or past generations; with small variabilities in favour of to-day's; meaning that humanity always gets better ... Life itself is the basic analogy to represent spiritual degrees.

[Muvlonion]

Perelman only put the last piece of the puzzle.

The Poincare Conjecture had already been proven for all dimensions higher than 4

[THRIPS101]

@Muvlonion IT WAS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE THURSTON GEOMETRIZATION CONJECTURE WHICH CATALOGUES ALL 3D SHAPES UP TO HOMEOMORPHISM MUCH LIKE THE PROOF FOR FERMAT'S LAST THEOREM WAS A COROLLARY OF THE TANIYAMA-SHIMURA CONJECTURE. IT SEEMS IT'S NOT THE IMPORTANCE, DIFFICULTY OR GENERALITY OF THE PROBLEM THAT GENERATES MEDIA INTEREST, RATHER THE LEGACY THE PROBLEM HAS.

[pup101]

the big deal wasnt to know that it was the sphere it was to prove that it was the sphere ......i mean many people thought it was the sphere

[eedahl]

They won't go into that kind of detail on TV. Be glad they even told you it existed xP

[THRIPS101]

@eedahl WURD TV ISNT THE BEST RESOURCED MEDIA FOR MATHS, UNFORTUNATELY. WHAT A WASTE OF POTENTIAL.

[mrqsilveira]

It's starting to rain... I can hear some brave thunders out there... It seems... The simplest connected object?... I think I can understand! (12/29/2008 16:23)

[ytcarmine]

I think you are smart, I think the comedy you do is smart...but get rid of that fat presenter you work with

[Anomlies]

hahahahaaahahahaha, fat boy is the honest representative of stupid mass.

[ytcarmine]

Really? why can't they be slightly intelligent masses

[monoyeyo]

But where is the answer......in Russia or in china....

wer hat zuerst die Loesung herausgefunden????

[Anomlies]

Every creature endowed with soul knows Grigory Perelman solved it RIRST!

[jeandujardin123]

absolutly right!

[Anomlies]

And, I am chinese!

[ShirtRipperT]

so? what does that have to do with anything.

[Anomlies]

what did u think when you wrote this reply? to be honest? shithead!

[ShirtRipperT]

I thought and still think you're a douchebag?? Does that answer your question?

[Basil1976]

"You'd end up a big FAT doughnut..."

Nice work pamps.