MAD MATHS

Grigory "Grisha" Perelman has been described as an "unconventional" and "reclusive" genius.

Maths genius declines top prize

Grigory Perelman, the Russian who seems to have solved one of the hardest problems in mathematics, has declined one of the discipline's top awards.
Dr Perelman was to have been presented with the prestigious Fields Medal by King Juan Carlos of Spain for solving a century-old problem called the Poincare Conjecture.

[The conjecture says - colloquially - that the three-sphere is the only type of bounded three-dimensional space possible that contains no holes. ]

Professor John Ball, outgoing president of the International Mathematical Union, said he had spoken to Dr Perelman of personal experiences with the mathematical community during his career that had caused him to remain at a distance.
"However, I am unable to disclose these comments in public," he said, adding: "He has a different psychological make up, which makes him see life differently."
Manuel de Leon, chairman of the ICM, said: "The reason Perelman gave me is that he feels isolated from the mathematical community and therefore has no wish to appear as one of its leaders."

[In 1996, Perelman turned down a prize awarded to him by the European Congress of Mathematicians. Observers suspect he will refuse a US$1m prize offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute in Massachusetts, US, if his proof of the Poincare Conjecture stands up to scrutiny.]