Perelman where. Grigory Perelman: How and where does a mathematician live now. He did what he was interested in

The brilliant mathematician Grigory Perelman shocked the scientific world by proving the Poincare conjecture, one of the most difficult mysteries of the millennium. And the townsfolk were surprised by the refusal of a poor scientist from the prescribed bonus of a million dollars. Gradually, the genius himself and his reclusive lifestyle became a mystery comparable in complexity to a proven theorem.

Childhood and youth

Grigory Yakovlevich leads a secretive life. The facts of the scientist's childhood, youth and personal life are known from the words of neighbors, school teachers and classmates, colleagues who worked with the mathematician.

Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad. The name of the brilliant mathematician speaks for itself about nationality. The Jewish boy from childhood showed incredible abilities and interest in learning. At a time when peers were chasing a ball in the yard, little Grisha preferred to read books and play chess.

Contrary to popular belief, Yakov Isidorovich Perelman, the famous scientist, author of books and popularizer of sciences, is not a relative of Grigory Yakovlevich.

Gregory's father is an electrical engineer. In 1993, Perelman Sr. immigrated to his historical homeland in Israel, like thousands of his compatriots in the 90s. The mother of the future outstanding mathematician stayed with the children in Leningrad, taught mathematics at the school.

Grigory Yakovlevich has a younger sister who has built a scientific career. After receiving a degree in mathematics at St. Petersburg University, the woman later left for Sweden. Since 2007 he has been working as a programmer in Stockholm.

By the time the boy went to school, he significantly surpassed his classmates in knowledge, he easily counted three-digit numbers in his mind. Perelman's teachers recall that the student had conversations on an equal footing with adults.

The magic of logic and numbers attracted Grigory Yakovlevich. From the 5th grade, the boy attended the mathematical center at the Palace of Pioneers. The mentor of the young geeks was an associate professor at the Pedagogical University named after Sergei Rukshin. Young Grisha received awards for participation in Olympiads, including the highest score at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

After graduating from a nine-year school in an ordinary Leningrad school, the graduate moved to a specialized physical and mathematical school No. 239. Without a doubt, the hardworking and talented Perelman studied perfectly. Summed up physical training. The failure to pass the TRP standards prevented the graduate from getting a gold medal.

It is not surprising that after the school bench, Grigory was admitted to the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics at Leningrad State University without entrance exams. At the university, Perelman continued to shine at the Olympiads, and received the Lenin Prize for excellent learning outcomes.

The science

After graduation, postgraduate studies followed, then a doctoral defense. As a result, the gifted scientist remained at his home university as a senior research fellow.

In the early 1990s, the talented scientist went to the USA, where he visited several universities as part of the exchange of experience. In the United States, the mathematician gave lectures and met with colleagues. Soon the ascetic Perelman got bored with America, and the scientist returned to his homeland.

Having resumed work at a Leningrad university, the mathematician begins to work hard on the riddle of the millennium, which the brilliant scientists of the century were unable to solve. It is worth noting that Perelman's passion for topology began a few years earlier. Earlier, the mathematician was able to prove the soul hypothesis, which preceded the study of the Poincaré hypothesis.

The meaning of the proof of the hypothesis, however, as well as the essence itself, cannot be described in simple language, understandable to a person far from higher mathematics. The discoveries made by the mathematician are of great importance in the study of the Universe, in work with nanotechnologies.

In addition, the hypothesis states that the peculiarity of the shape of the universe leads to the fact that it can be contracted to a single point. This, in turn, indirectly confirms the Big Bang theory. Proponents of the theological origin of the universe got a reason to doubt God as the creator of all things. The Poincaré hypothesis proves that there is no God.

In 2002-2003, Perelman published articles revealing the essence of the proof. Three independent groups of mathematicians, having checked the arguments, confirmed the complete proof.

In 2003, Perelman visited the United States, lectured about his own discovery, and shared his experience with his compatriots. And in 2005, the scientist suddenly leaves the department and locks himself in an apartment in Kupchino, where he lives with his sick mother.

Personal life

A reclusive lifestyle leaves hundreds of questions. The main one that interests journalists and citizens is the reason why Grigory Perelman refused the money that rightfully belongs to him. This is the Clay Institute Award. The Mathematical Institute has compiled a list of seven riddles for which a million dollar reward is due. The Poincaré hypothesis was included in this list.

Of course, having learned about the discovery of the Russian scientist, the founders immediately turned to the scientist. What was everyone's surprise when the mathematician refused a million dollars without explanation.

Soon, Grigory Yakovlevich completely stopped communicating with the press. He simply ignores Russian journalists and refuses to give interviews to foreign ones. News of the scientist's similar behavior led to rumors about Perelman's illness. It was claimed that the genius suffers from autism. However, reliable evidence or conclusions of doctors have not yet been made public.

It is known that the scientist lives with his mother, who is seriously ill. The mathematician does not have a wife. According to the stories of the teacher Grigory Yakovlevich, who maintains a relationship with him, mother and son live in poverty.

In 2018, information appeared that the mathematician had moved to Sweden. However, sources in the person of neighbors and store sellers denied the rumors and confirmed that Perelman did not leave anywhere.

• While working in the States, the scientist surprised his foreign colleagues with his unpretentiousness and detachment from everyday needs. The favorite food of the mathematician was sandwiches with cheese, which Grigory Yakovlevich washed down with kefir or milk. Restaurants and an abundance of grocery stores did not interest the "strange Russian".

• As a child, Gregory was fond of music. Mother instilled in her son the adoration of classical composers. She, being a talented violinist, introduced Grisha to the instrument. Perelman attended music school with pleasure, and then he faced a difficult choice - to enter the conservatory or to devote himself to the exact sciences.
• Statements by conspiracy theorists have appeared on the Web that Perelman is the most powerful person on earth because he knows how to control the universe. Of course, such a person did not escape the attention of the secret services, and communication with others is prohibited for a scientist.

Quotes

I know how to control the universe. And tell me - why should I run for a million?

The whole world is permeated by emptiness, and it obeys formulas - this gives us limitless possibilities.

If you can train your arms and legs, then why not train your brain?

There is no such thing as an unsolvable problem. Difficult to solve. So more precisely.

Remember the biblical legend about how Jesus Christ walked on water, like dry land? So I had to calculate how fast he had to move through the waters so as not to fall through.

Awards and prizes

• 1991 - Prize "Young Mathematician" of the St. Petersburg Mathematical Society
• 1996 - European Mathematical Society Prize for Young Mathematicians
• 2006 - Fields Medal Award
• 2010 - Clay Institute of Mathematics Award

The mathematician Perelman is a very famous person, despite the fact that he leads a solitary life and avoids the press in every possible way. His proof of the Poincare conjecture put him on a par with the greatest scientists in world history. The mathematician Perelman refused many awards provided by the scientific community. This man lives very modestly and is completely devoted to science. Of course, it is worth talking about him and his discovery in detail.

Father Grigory Perelman

On June 13, 1966, Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman, a mathematician, was born. There are few photos of him in the public domain, but the most famous ones are presented in this article. He was born in Leningrad, the cultural capital of our country. His father was an electrical engineer. He had nothing to do with science, as many believe.

Yakov Perelman

It is widely believed that Grigory is the son of Yakov Perelman, a well-known popularizer of science. However, this is a delusion, because he died in besieged Leningrad in March 1942, so he could not be a father in any way. This man was born in Bialystok, a city that previously belonged to the Russian Empire, and is now part of Poland. Yakov Isidorovich was born in 1882.

Yakov Perelman, which is very interesting, was also attracted to mathematics. In addition, he was fond of astronomy and physics. This man is considered the founder of entertaining science, as well as one of the first who wrote works in the genre of popular science literature. He is the creator of the book "Live Mathematics". Perelman wrote many other books. In addition, his bibliography includes more than a thousand articles. As for such a book as "Live Mathematics", Perelman presents in it various puzzles related to this science. Many of them are designed in the form of short stories. This book is intended primarily for teenagers.

In one respect, another book is especially interesting, the author of which is Yakov Perelman ("Entertaining Mathematics"). Trillion - do you know what this number is? It's 1021. In the USSR, for a long time, two scales existed in parallel - "short" and "long". According to Perelman, "short" was used in financial calculations and everyday life, and "long" - in scientific works on physics and astronomy. So, a trillion on a "short" scale does not exist. 10 21 is called a sextillion in it. These scales generally differ significantly.

However, we will not dwell on this in detail and move on to a story about the contribution to science that was made by Grigory Yakovlevich, and not by Yakov Isidorovich, whose achievements were less modest. By the way, it was not his well-known namesake who instilled in Gregory a love for science.

Perelman's mother and her influence on Grigory Yakovlevich

The mother of the future scientist taught mathematics at a vocational school. In addition, she was a talented violinist. Probably, Grigory Yakovlevich adopted his love for mathematics, as well as for classical music, from her. Both equally attracted Perelman. When he faced the choice of where to enter - to the conservatory or to a technical university, he could not decide for a long time. Who knows who Grigory Perelman could have become if he had decided to get a musical education.

The childhood of the future scientist

Already from a young age, Gregory was distinguished by literate speech, both written and oral. He often amazed teachers at school with this. By the way, before the 9th grade, Perelman studied at a secondary school, apparently typical, of which there are so many on the outskirts. And then teachers from the Palace of Pioneers noticed a talented young man. He was taken to courses for gifted children. This contributed to the development of Perelman's unique talents.

Victory at the Olympics, graduation from school

Since then, the milestone of victories for Gregory begins. In 1982, he received at the International Mathematical Olympiad held in Budapest. Perelman participated in it together with a team of Soviet schoolchildren. He received a full score, solving all the problems flawlessly. Gregory graduated from the eleventh grade of the school in the same year. The very fact of participation in this prestigious Olympiad opened the doors of the best educational institutions of our country for him. But Grigory Perelman not only participated in it, but also received a gold medal.

It is not surprising that he was enrolled without exams in the Leningrad State University, in the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. By the way, Gregory, oddly enough, did not receive a gold medal at school. This was prevented by the assessment in physical education. Passing sports standards at that time was mandatory for everyone, including those who could hardly imagine themselves at the pole for jumping or at the bar. In other subjects, he studied for five.

Studying at LSU

Over the next few years, the future scientist continued his education at Leningrad State University. He participated, and with great success, in various mathematical competitions. Perelman even managed to get the prestigious Lenin Scholarship. So he became the owner of 120 rubles - a lot of money at that time. He must have been doing well at the time.

It must be said that the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of this university, which is now called St. Petersburg, was one of the best in Russia in the Soviet years. In 1924, for example, V. Leontiev graduated from it. Almost immediately after completing his studies, he received the Nobel Prize in Economics. This scientist is even called the father of the American economy. Leonid Kantorovich, the only domestic laureate of this award, who received it for his contribution to this science, was a professor of mathematics.

Continuing education, life in the USA

After graduating from Leningrad State University, Grigory Perelman entered the Steklov Mathematical Institute to continue his postgraduate studies. Soon he flew to the USA in order to represent this educational institution. This country has always been considered a state of unlimited freedom, especially in Soviet times among the inhabitants of our country. Many dreamed of seeing her, but the mathematician Perelman was not one of them. It seems that the temptations of the West have gone unnoticed for him. The scientist still led a modest lifestyle, even somewhat ascetic. He ate sandwiches with cheese, which he washed down with kefir or milk. And of course, the mathematician Perelman worked hard. In particular, he was a teacher. The scientist met with his fellow mathematicians. America bored him after 6 years.

Return to Russia

Grigory returned to Russia, to his native institute. Here he worked for 9 years. It was at this time that he must have begun to understand that the road to "pure art" lies through isolation, isolation from society. Gregory decided to break off all his relations with his colleagues. The scientist decided to lock himself in his Leningrad apartment and start a grandiose work...

Topology

It is not easy to explain what Perelman proved in mathematics. Only great lovers of this science can fully understand the significance of his discovery. We will try to talk in an accessible language about the hypothesis that Perelman brought out. Grigory Yakovlevich was attracted by topology. This is a branch of mathematics, often also called geometry on a rubber sheet. Topology is the study of geometric shapes that persist when a shape is bent, twisted, or stretched. In other words, if it is absolutely elastically deformed - without gluing, cutting and tearing. Topology is very important for a discipline like mathematical physics. It gives an idea of ​​the properties of space. In our case, we are talking about an infinite space that is continuously expanding, that is, about the Universe.

Poincare conjecture

The great French physicist, mathematician and philosopher J. A. Poincaré was the first to hypothesize this. This happened at the beginning of the 20th century. But it should be noted that he made an assumption, and did not give a proof. Perelman made it his task to prove this hypothesis, to derive a mathematical solution, logically verified, after a whole century.

When talking about its essence, they usually begin as follows. Take the rubber disk. It should be pulled over the ball. Thus, you have a two-dimensional sphere. It is necessary that the circumference of the disk be collected at one point. For example, you can do this with a backpack by pulling it off and tying it with a cord. It turns out a sphere. Of course, for us it is three-dimensional, but from the point of view of mathematics it will be two-dimensional.

Then figurative projections and reasoning begin, which are difficult to understand for an unprepared person. One should now imagine a three-dimensional sphere, that is, a ball stretched over something that goes into another dimension. A three-dimensional sphere, according to the hypothesis, is the only existing three-dimensional object that can be pulled together by a hypothetical "hypercord" at one point. The proof of this theorem helps us understand what shape the Universe has. In addition, thanks to it, one can reasonably assume that the Universe is such a three-dimensional sphere.

The Poincaré Hypothesis and the Big Bang Theory

It should be noted that this hypothesis is a confirmation of the Big Bang theory. If the universe is the only "figure" whose distinguishing feature is the ability to contract it into one point, this means that it can be stretched in the same way. The question arises: if it is a sphere, what is outside the universe? Is man, who is a by-product belonging to the planet Earth alone and not even to the cosmos as a whole, capable of cognizing this mystery? Those who are interested can be invited to read the works of another world-famous mathematician - Stephen Hawking. However, he cannot yet say anything concrete on this score. Let's hope that in the future another Perelman will appear and he will be able to solve this riddle, which torments the imagination of many. Who knows, maybe Grigory Yakovlevich himself will still be able to do it.

Nobel Prize in Mathematics

Perelman did not receive this prestigious award for his great achievement. Strange, isn't it? In fact, this is explained very simply, given that such an award simply does not exist. A whole legend has been created about the reasons why Nobel deprived representatives of such an important science. To this day, the Nobel Prize in mathematics has not been awarded. Perelman would probably get it if it existed. There is a legend that the reason for Nobel's rejection of mathematicians is the following: it was to the representative of this science that his bride left him. Like it or not, it was only with the advent of the 21st century that justice finally prevailed. It was then that another prize for mathematicians appeared. Let's briefly talk about its history.

How did the Clay Institute Award come about?

At a mathematical congress held in Paris in 1900, he proposed a list of 23 problems that needed to be solved in the new, 20th century. To date, 21 of them are already allowed. By the way, in 1970 Yu. V. Matiyasevich, a graduate of mathematics and mechanics at Leningrad State University, completed the solution of the 10th of these problems. At the beginning of the 21st century, the American Clay Institute compiled a list similar to it, consisting of seven problems in mathematics. They should have been solved already in the 21st century. A million dollar reward was announced for solving each of them. As early as 1904, Poincaré formulated one of these problems. He put forward the conjecture that all three-dimensional surfaces that are homotypically equivalent to a sphere are homeomorphic to it. In simple terms, if a three-dimensional surface is somewhat similar to a sphere, then it is possible to flatten it into a sphere. This statement of the scientist is sometimes called the formula of the universe because of its great importance in understanding complex physical processes, and also because the answer to it means solving the question of the shape of the universe. It should also be said that this discovery plays an important role in the development of nanotechnologies.

So, the Clay Mathematics Institute decided to choose the 7 most difficult problems. For the solution of each of them was promised a million dollars. And now Grigory Perelman appears with his discovery. The prize in mathematics, of course, goes to him. He was noticed quite quickly, since since 2002 he has been publishing his work on foreign Internet resources.

How Perelman was awarded the Clay Award

So, in March 2010, Perelman was awarded the well-deserved award. The prize in mathematics meant receiving an impressive fortune, the size of which was $ 1 million. Grigory Yakovlevich was supposed to receive it for the proof. However, in June 2010, the scientist ignored the mathematical conference held in Paris, at which this award was to be presented. And on July 1, 2010, Perelman announced his refusal publicly. Moreover, he never took the money allotted to him, despite all the requests.

Why did the mathematician Perelman refuse the prize?

Grigory Yakovlevich explained this by the fact that his conscience did not allow him to receive a million, which was due to several other mathematicians. The scientist noted that he had many reasons both to take the money and not to take it. It took him a long time to decide. Grigory Perelman, a mathematician, cited disagreement with the scientific community as the main reason for refusing the award. He noted that he considers his decisions unfair. Grigory Yakovlevich stated that he believed that the contribution of Hamilton, a German mathematician, to the solution of this problem was no less than his.

By the way, a little later there was even an anecdote on this topic: mathematicians need to allocate millions more often, perhaps someone will still decide to take them. A year after Perelman's refusal, Demetrios Christodoul and Richard Hamilton were awarded the Shaw Prize. The amount of this award in mathematics is one million dollars. This award is sometimes also referred to as the Nobel Prize for the East. Hamilton received it for the creation of a mathematical theory. It was it that the Russian mathematician Perelman then developed in his works devoted to the proof of the Poincaré conjecture. Richard accepted the award.

Other awards refused by Grigory Perelman

By the way, in 1996 Grigory Yakovlevich was awarded a prestigious prize for young mathematicians from the European Mathematical Society. However, he refused to receive it.

Ten years later, in 2006, the scientist was awarded the Fields Medal for solving the Poincare conjecture. Grigory Yakovlevich also refused her.

The journal Science in 2006 called the proof of the hypothesis created by Poincaré the scientific breakthrough of the year. It should be noted that this is the first work in the field of mathematics that has earned such a title.

David Gruber and Sylvia Nazar published an article in 2006 called Manifold Destiny. It talks about Perelman, about his solution to the Poincaré problem. In addition, the article tells about the mathematical community and the ethical principles that exist in science. It also features a rare interview with Perelman. Much is also said about the criticism of Yau Xingtang, the Chinese mathematician. Together with his students, he tried to challenge the completeness of the evidence presented by Grigory Yakovlevich. In an interview, Perelman noted: "Those who violate ethical standards in science are not considered outsiders. People like me are who are isolated."

In September 2011, the mathematician Perelman also refused membership in the Russian Academy of Sciences. His biography is presented in a book published in the same year. From it you can learn more about the fate of this mathematician, although the information collected is based on the testimony of third parties. Its author - The book was compiled on the basis of interviews with classmates, teachers, colleagues and colleagues of Perelman. Sergei Rukshin, Grigory Yakovlevich's teacher, spoke critically of her.

Grigory Perelman today

And today he leads a solitary life. The mathematician Perelman ignores the press in every possible way. Where does he live? Until recently, Grigory Yakovlevich lived with his mother in Kupchino. And since 2014, the famous Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman has been in Sweden.

After graduating from school without exams, he was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Leningrad State University (now St. Petersburg State University). In his student years, Perelman repeatedly won the mathematical Olympiads. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school at the Leningrad Department of the Mathematical Institute. V.A. Steklov (since 1992 - the St. Petersburg Department of the Mathematical Institute).

In 1990 he defended his Ph.D. thesis and was left at the institute as a senior researcher.

In 1992, the scientist received an invitation to lecture at New York University and Stony Brook University, and then worked for some time at the University of Berkeley (USA). While in the United States, Perelman worked as a research assistant at American universities.
In 1996 he returned to St. Petersburg, where he worked at the St. Petersburg Department of the Mathematical Institute until December 2005.

Between November 2002 and July 2003, Perelman wrote three articles in which he revealed the solution of one of the special cases of William Thurston's geometrization conjecture, from which the validity of the Poincaré conjecture follows. The method of studying the Ricci flow described by Perelman was called the Hamilton-Perelman theory, since the American mathematician Richard Hamilton was the first to study it.

The Poincare conjecture was formulated by the French mathematician Henri Poincaré in 1904 and is the central problem of topology, the science of the geometric properties of bodies that do not change when a body is stretched, twisted, or compressed. Poincaré's theorem was considered one of the unsolvable mathematical problems.

The mathematician is known for being categorical and speaking in public.

According to media reports, in 2014, Grigory Perelman received a Swedish visa for a period of 10 years and moved to Sweden, where a local private research firm offered him a well-paid job. However, later it was reported that he lives in St. Petersburg, and visits Sweden as needed.

In 2011, she published about the life and deeds of the Russian scientist Grigory Perelman.

Grigory Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in St. Petersburg. From childhood, the boy showed incredible abilities and interest in learning. At a time when peers were chasing a ball in the yard, little Grisha preferred to read books and play chess. Gregory's father worked as an electrical engineer, but in 1993 he immigrated to his historical homeland in Israel. The mother stayed with the children in St. Petersburg, taught mathematics at the school.

Grigory Yakovlevich has a younger sister who has built a scientific career. After receiving a degree in mathematics at St. Petersburg University, the woman later left for Sweden. Works as a programmer in Stockholm.

By the time the boy went to school, the child prodigy significantly surpassed his classmates in knowledge, he easily counted three-digit numbers in his mind. Perelman's teachers recall that the student had conversations on an equal footing with adults.

The magic of logic and numbers attracted Grigory Yakovlevich. From the fifth grade, the boy attended the mathematical center at the Palace of Pioneers. Associate professor of the Pedagogical University named after Alexander Herzen, Sergei Rukshin, became the mentor of the young geeks. Young Grisha received awards for participation in Olympiads, including the highest score at the International Mathematical Olympiad.

After graduating from a nine-year school in an ordinary St. Petersburg school, the graduate moved to a specialized physical and mathematical school No. 239. Naturally, the hardworking and talented Perelman studied perfectly.

It is not surprising that after the school bench, Gregory was admitted to St. Petersburg State University at the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics without entrance exams. At the university, Perelman continued to shine at the olympiads. After graduation, postgraduate studies followed, then a doctoral defense. As a result, the gifted scientist remained at his home university as a senior research fellow.

In the early 1990s, the talented scientist went to the United States, where he visited several universities as part of an exchange of experience. In the United States, the mathematician gave lectures and met with colleagues. Soon the ascetic Perelman got bored with America and the scientist returned to his homeland.

Having resumed work at a St. Petersburg university, the mathematician begins to work hard on the riddle of the millennium, which the brilliant scientists of the century were unable to solve. It is worth noting that Perelman's passion for topology began a few years earlier. Earlier, the mathematician was able to prove the soul hypothesis, which preceded the study of the Poincaré hypothesis.

The meaning of the proof of the hypothesis, however, as well as the essence itself, cannot be described in simple language, understandable to a person far from higher mathematics. The discoveries made by the mathematician are of great importance in the study of the Universe, in work with nanotechnologies.

In addition, the hypothesis states that the peculiarity of the shape of the universe leads to the fact that it can be contracted to a single point. This, in turn, indirectly confirms the Big Bang theory. Proponents of the theological origin of the universe got a reason to doubt God as the creator of all things. The Poincaré hypothesis proves that there is no God.

In 2002, Perelman publishes articles that reveal the essence of the proof. As many as three groups of independent mathematicians, having checked the arguments, confirmed the complete proof. A year later, the scientist visited the United States, lectured about his own discovery, and shared his experience with his compatriots. In 2005, the scientist suddenly leaves the department and locks himself in an apartment in Kupchino, where he lives with his sick mother.

Of course, having learned about the discovery of the Russian scientist, the founders immediately turned to the scientist. Imagine everyone's surprise when the mathematician refused a million dollars without explanation.

In September 2011, it became known that the mathematician refused to accept an offer to become a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Gregory leads a secluded life, ignores the press.

In 2014, a preview of the play directed by Vera Popova was held at the New Stage of the Alexandria Theater in St. Petersburg Wroclaw Theater "Wspulchesny" based on the play "The Recluse" by the Polish playwright Mikhail Pabian, created based on the story of Grigory Perelman.

A year later, the play "The Singularity from Artemy", written by Konstantin Kuznetsov based on the story of Grigory Perelman, entered the long list of the International Competition of Russian-language Drama "Characters 2015".

Yekaterinburg director Andrei Grigoriev began shooting a film about Grigory Perelman on June 13, 2016, on the day of the 50th anniversary of the mathematician. Andrei considers it unfair that films about outstanding compatriots who glorify Russia to the whole world are not made in our country. The premiere of the tape is scheduled for June 13, 2019.

Contribution to science Grigory Perelman

Proved several key assertions in the Aleksandrov geometry of spaces with curvature bounded below.

In 1994 he proved the soul hypothesis in differential geometry.

In 2002 - 2003 he proved the Poincare conjecture and the geometrization conjecture.

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman(b. June 13, 1966, Leningrad, USSR) - outstanding, the first to prove the Poincare conjecture.

Grigory Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad into a Jewish family. His father Yakov was an electrical engineer and emigrated to Israel in 1993. Mother, Lyubov Leibovna, remained in St. Petersburg, worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school. It was the mother, who played the violin, who instilled in the future mathematician a love for classical music.

Until the 9th grade, Perelman studied at a secondary school on the outskirts of the city, however, in the 5th grade, he began studying at the mathematical center at the Palace of Pioneers under the guidance of an associate professor at the Russian State Pedagogical University Sergei Rukshin, whose students won many awards at mathematical olympiads. In 1982, as part of a team of Soviet schoolchildren, he won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, receiving a full score for the perfect solution of all problems. Perelman graduated from the 239th Physics and Mathematics School in Leningrad. He played table tennis well, attended a music school. I didn’t get a gold medal only because of physical education, without passing the TRP standards.

He was enrolled without exams in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Leningrad State University. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only "excellently". For academic success, he received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school (supervisor - Academician A. D. Aleksandrov) at the Leningrad Department of the Mathematical Institute. V. A. Steklova (LOMI - until 1992; then - POMI). Having defended his Ph.D. thesis in 1990, he remained to work at the institute as a senior researcher.

In the early 1990s, Perelman came to the United States, where he worked as a researcher at various universities, where one of the most difficult, at that time not yet solved, problems of modern mathematics, the Poincaré Conjecture, attracted his attention. He surprised his colleagues with the austerity of life, his favorite food was milk, bread and cheese. In 1996 he returned to St. Petersburg, continuing to work at POMI, where he worked alone on solving the Poincare Problem.

In 2002-2003, Grigory Perelman published his three famous articles on the Internet, in which he summarized his original method for solving the Poincare Problem:

• The entropy formula for the Ricci flow and its geometric applications
• Ricci flow with surgery on three-manifolds
• Finite extinction time for the solutions to the Ricci flow on certain three-manifolds

The appearance on the Internet of Perelman's first article on the entropy formula for the Ricci flow caused an immediate international sensation in scientific circles. In 2003, Grigory Perelman accepted an invitation to visit a number of American universities, where he made a series of presentations on his work in proving the Poincare Problem. In America, Perelman spent a lot of time explaining his ideas and methods both in public lectures organized for him and during personal meetings with a number of mathematicians. After his return to Russia, he answered numerous questions from his foreign colleagues by e-mail.

In 2004-2006, three independent groups of mathematicians were engaged in verification of Perelman's results: 1) Bruce Kleiner, John Lott, University of Michigan; 2) Zhu Xiping, Sun Yat-sen University, Cao Huaidong, Lehai University; 3) John Morgan, Columbia University, Gan Tian, ​​Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All three groups concluded that the Poincaré problem had been successfully solved, but Chinese mathematicians Zhu Xiping and Cao Huaidong, along with their teacher Yau Xingtang, attempted to plagiarize, claiming that they had found a "complete proof". They subsequently retracted this statement.

In December 2005, Grigory Perelman resigned as a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, resigned from POMI, and almost completely cut off contacts with colleagues.

He showed no interest in a further scientific career. Currently, he lives in Kupchino in the same apartment with his mother, leads a secluded life, ignores the press.

Scientific contribution

Main article: Poincare conjecture

In 1994 he proved the hypothesis about the soul (differential geometry).

Grigory Perelman, in addition to his outstanding natural talent, being a representative of the Leningrad school of geometry, at the beginning of his work on the Poincare Problem, had a broader scientific outlook than his foreign colleagues. In addition to other major mathematical innovations that made it possible to overcome all the difficulties faced by mathematicians dealing with this problem, Perelman developed and applied the purely Leningrad theory of Alexandrov spaces to analyze Ricci flows. In 2002, Perelman first published his pioneering work on solving one of the special cases of William Thurston's geometrization conjecture, from which the famous Poincaré conjecture, formulated by the French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Henri Poincaré in 1904, follows. The method described by the scientist for studying the Ricci flow is called Hamilton-Perelman theories.

Recognition and ratings

In 1996 he was awarded the European Mathematical Society Prize for Young Mathematicians, but refused to receive it.

In 2006, Grigory Perelman was awarded the international Fields Medal for solving the Poincaré conjecture (the official wording of the award was: “For his contribution to geometry and his revolutionary ideas in the study of the geometric and analytical structure of the Ricci flow”), but he refused it.

In 2006, the journal Science named the proof of Poincaré's theorem the Scientific Breakthrough of the Year. Breakthrough of the Year). This is the first work in mathematics that has earned such a title.

In 2006, Sylvia Nazar and David Gruber published "Manifold Destiny," an article about Grigory Perelman, his work on the Poincare Problem, ethical principles in science and the mathematical community, and a rare interview with him. The article devotes considerable space to the criticism of the Chinese mathematician Yau Xingtang, who, together with his students, tried to challenge the completeness of the proof of the Poincare Conjecture proposed by Grigory Perelman. From an interview with Grigory Perelman:

In 2006, The New York Times published an article by Dennis Overbye, Scientist at Work: Shing-Tung Yau. The Emperor of Math. The article is devoted to the biography of Professor Yau Shintang and the scandal associated with accusations against him of trying to belittle Perelman's contribution to the proof of the Poincaré Hypothesis. The article cites a fact unheard of in mathematics - Yau Shintang hired a law firm to defend his case and threatened to sue his critics.

In 2007, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published a list of "One Hundred Living Geniuses", in which Grigory Perelman takes 9th place. In addition to Perelman, only 2 Russians made it to this list - Garry Kasparov (25th place) and Mikhail Kalashnikov (83rd place).

In March 2010, the Clay Mathematical Institute awarded Grigory Perelman a $1 million prize for proving the Poincaré Conjecture, the first ever award for solving a Millennium Problem. In June 2010, Perelman ignored a mathematical conference in Paris, which was supposed to present the Millennium Prize for proving the Poincaré conjecture, and on July 1, 2010 he publicly announced his refusal of the prize, motivating it as follows:

Note that such a public assessment of the merits of Richard Hamilton by a mathematician who proved the Poincare Conjecture may be an example of nobility in science, since, according to Perelman himself, Hamilton, who collaborated with Yau Shintan, noticeably slowed down in his research, faced with insurmountable technical difficulties.

In September 2011, the Clay Institute, together with the Henri Poincaré Institute (Paris), established a position for young mathematicians, the money for which will come from the Millennium Prize awarded, but not accepted by Grigory Perelman.

In 2011, Richard Hamilton and Demetrios Christodoul were awarded the so-called. The $1,000,000 Shao Prize in Mathematics, also sometimes referred to as the Nobel Prize of the East. Richard Hamilton was awarded for the creation of a mathematical theory, which was then developed by Grigory Perelman in his work on the proof of the Poincaré conjecture. It is known that Hamilton accepted this award.

Interesting Facts

• In his work "The entropy formula for the Ricci flow and its geometric applications" (Eng. The entropy formula for the Ricci flow and its geometric applications) Grigory Perelman, not without humor, modestly points out that his work was partially funded by personal savings saved during his visits to the Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences, the State University of New York (SUNY), the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of California to Berkeley, and thanks the organizers of these trips. At the same time, millions of grants were allocated by the official mathematical community for individual research groups in order to understand and test Perelman's work.
• When a member of the hiring committee at Stanford University asked Perelman for C.V. (summary), as well as letters of recommendation, Perelman opposed:

• The article Manifold Destiny was noticed by the eminent mathematician Vladimir Arnold, who offered to reprint it in the Moscow journal Uspekhi matematicheskikh nauk, where he was a member of the editorial board. The editor-in-chief of the magazine, Sergei Novikov, refused him. According to Arnold, the refusal was due to the fact that the editor-in-chief of the magazine was afraid of revenge from Yau, since he also worked in the United States.
• The biographical book of Masha Gessen tells about the fate of Perelman “Perfect severity. Grigory Perelman: genius and the task of the millennium, based on numerous interviews with his teachers, classmates, colleagues and colleagues. Perelman's teacher Sergei Rukshin was critical of the book.

• Grigory Perelman became the protagonist of the documentary film "The Enchantment of the Poincare Hypothesis" directed by Masahito Kasugi, filmed by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2008.
• In April 2010, the release of the “Millionaire from Khrushchev” talk show “Let them talk” was dedicated to Grigory Perelman. Grigory's friends, his school teachers, as well as journalists who communicated with Perelman took part in it.
• In the 27th edition of "Big Difference" on Channel One, a parody was presented in the hall on Grigory Perelman. The role of Perelman was simultaneously performed by 9 actors.
• It is a common misconception that the father of Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman is Yakov Isidorovich Perelman, a well-known popularizer of physics, mathematics and astronomy. However, Ya. I. Perelman died more than 20 years before the birth of Grigory Perelman.
• On April 28, 2011, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported that Perelman gave an interview to Alexander Zabrovsky, executive producer of the Moscow film company President Film, and agreed to shoot a feature film about him. Masha Gessen, however, doubts that these claims are true. Vladimir Gubailovsky also believes that the interview with Perelman is fictitious.