Volume 1: Student Life Chapter 289 Lend It to Me First
"Huh?" Zhang Shouwu noticed this person first and couldn't help but let out a light exclamation.
The man looked at Zhang Shouwu with a smile.
Zhang Shouwu then asked, "Didn't you say you wouldn't come?"
The man replied: "Isn't this an interesting discovery?"
After saying that, he turned his gaze towards Chen Zhou who was looking at him.
Chen Zhou thought about it carefully and realized that this was indeed the first time he had met this person and he did not know him.
But the other party obviously knew himself.
Seeing Chen Zhou's puzzled look, Zhang Shouwu introduced: "This is Professor Zhang Yitang, whose research field conflicts with yours."
Chen Zhou suddenly realized that this person could be said to be the "sweeping monk" in the mathematics world.
As the saying goes, if you don't make a sound, you'll be a surprise.
Probably referring to people like Zhang Yitang.
Before 2013, this mathematician, now in his sixties, worked as a lecturer at a little-known university.
Yes, it’s a lecturer, not a professor.
Moreover, he has hardly published any professional papers related to mathematics.
However, in just two years from 2013 to now, Zhang Yitang's name has "emerged out of nowhere" in the international mathematics community.
He has won the American Mathematical Society's Cole Number Theory Award and the Swedish 2014 Rolf Schock Prize.
Zhang Yitang was even invited to give a one-hour invited report before the closing ceremony of the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians!
Invited reports at the International Mathematical Congress usually last 45 minutes, but his was one hour!
The problem that Zhang Yitang studied was the interval problem of prime numbers.
In 2013, he published a landmark paper on prime number research, proposing for the first time that there are infinite pairs of prime numbers with certain gaps between them.
Moreover, he proved that the interval was within 70 million.
This is also a weakened form of the twin prime conjecture.
As a result, Zhang Yitang became a key figure in solving one of the famous conjectures in the field of mathematics, the "Twin Prime Conjecture."
Because his work was equivalent to the proof of "9+9" by Brown in Norway in 1920, which "opened" the proof of the Goldbach conjecture.
Now, from 70 million to 60 million, then to 42 million, 13 million, 5 million, 400,000...
Using Zhang Yitang's method, mathematicians have reduced this constant to 246!
Getting closer and closer to the scope of the twin prime conjecture.
If this constant is improved to 2, it would be equivalent to proving the twin prime conjecture!
I have to say, this is a very good mathematician.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhou also understood the other party's intention. He politely introduced himself: "Hello, Professor Zhang, I am a student of Yenching University, Chen Zhou."
Zhang Yitang looked at Chen Zhou and said, "I know you. I have read your paper."
After a pause, he added: "Whether it is the proof of the hailstone conjecture or the extended research of the Cramer conjecture, both are very exciting!"
Chen Zhou smiled modestly and said, "Your research on the twin prime conjecture is equally brilliant! It has opened the door for mathematicians to prove the twin prime conjecture!"
Zhang Yitang waved his hand and said calmly: "It only provides a research method, and it is still a long way from being proven. Just like the Goldbach conjecture, after being pushed to '1+2', it has never been able to take the last step."
Zhang Shouwu looked at the expressions of the two people and immediately interrupted: "Okay, you two, stop being so modest. There are no outsiders here... "
Hearing this, Chen Zhou and Zhang Yitang smiled at each other.
However, Zhang Yitang is indeed a low-key mathematician.
Otherwise, he would not have not published any mathematical papers for decades, to the point where the mathematical community had forgotten about his existence.
Until Professor Zhang Yitang made a big splash.
At this time, the speaker on the stage had also finished his report.
During the QA session, he was hardly given any trouble.
Chen Zhou gave his applause politely, thinking that it would be great if his report meeting could be like this on the last day.
"Let's go find a place to talk?" Zhang Shouwu suggested.
Chen Zhou and Zhang Yitang naturally had no objections, as each other had things they wanted to know.
Chen Zhou and the other two immediately left the auditorium and found a nearby cafe.
The waiter entertained the three people warmly.
Zhang Shouwu did not take the waiter's hospitality lightly and gave him a tip.
Chen Zhou looked at the tip on the tray and his eyelids twitched.
At this time, Zhang Yitang's voice brought Chen Zhou back to his senses.
"Chen Zhou, can you tell me about your distributed deconstruction method?"
Perhaps feeling that his question was a bit abrupt, Zhang Yitang took out a notebook from his bag, opened it, and asked, "Regarding the derivation of equations 5-3 and 9-6 in your paper."
Chen Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Can you give me a pen and paper?"
Zhang Yitang immediately took out a new stack of A4 paper from his bag and handed the pen to Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou took the pen and paper and began to speak: "Regarding formula 5-3, it is like this..."
As he spoke, he wrote down the derived formula on a piece of draft paper.
The two elderly people, Zhang Yitang and Zhang Shouwu, listened attentively to Chen Zhou's story.
The waiter from before couldn't help but take a curious look and suddenly felt a headache.
These Chinese people didn't drink their cold coffee, but instead wrote a bunch of incomprehensible symbols.
It's really incomprehensible!
"...From this, we can draw the conclusion of formula 5-3." Chen Zhou stopped writing and handed the draft paper to Zhang Yitang, "Take a look."
Zhang Yitang took the draft paper and read it carefully word by word.
Finally, he handed the draft paper to Zhang Shouwu and looked at Chen Zhou with shining eyes: "What about form 9-6?"
Chen Zhou smiled and started writing on the draft paper again.
"In fact, form 9-6 uses a technique that I believe you, Professor Zhang, must be familiar with!"
As Chen Zhou talked, Zhang Yitang's eyes widened. This...
This is similar to the work of revising Bombieri-Friedlander-Iwaniec.
But he was able to make these innovations based on decades of research.
But Chen Zhou is only a sophomore undergraduate student now. How come he has such rich accumulation?
Even if he worked day and night, he couldn't read so many documents, right?
What's more, reading literature is not just about reading.
Zhang Yitang looked at Chen Zhou who was writing and talking in front of him, and couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion in his heart.
Maybe this is mathematical talent?
"…From equations 9-3, 9-4, and 9-5, we can derive equation 9-6."
After Chen Zhou finished speaking, he slowly put down his pen and handed the draft paper to Zhang Yitang.
Chen Zhou smiled and looked at the other person: "Does it look familiar?"
After reading it, Zhang Yitang finally expressed his feelings: "I didn't expect that you, at such a young age, have such a high level of understanding of prime numbers..."
Zhang Shouwu also said: "Chen Zhou, you are beyond my imagination!"
If you look at the paper alone, you can only see the results of Chen Zhou's work.
But after hearing what Chen Zhou said, the ideas in it made them even more moved.
Chen Zhou said somewhat embarrassedly: "Professor Zhang, you are too kind."
"Um, Chen Zhou, these two pieces of paper?" Zhang Yitang noticed that Zhang Shouwu obviously clenched the draft paper in his hand.
"Oh, I'll give it to you." Chen Zhou also noticed Zhang Shouwu's little action and thought that this old man in his fifties was quite interesting.
When Zhang Shouwu heard what Chen Zhou said, he immediately looked at Zhang Yitang and said, "Old Zhang, lend it to me first!"
As he spoke, he clenched his hands even tighter.
Zhang Yitang was also a little amused and waved his hand: "Remember to return it to me after you finish reading it."
Zhang Shouwu immediately said no problem.
Afterwards, Chen Zhou and Zhang Yitang discussed some research ideas on the prime number interval problem.
