Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes • Hacker News Board

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#11

Post by klyrs » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 5:19 PM UTC

jklinger410 wrote: post #3

citizenpaul wrote: post #2

Quoted post unavailable.

You are 100% correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_J._Larsen

That's one of two parents. Ayelet Lindenstrauss, interviewed in the article, is also a mathematician, as was her father Joram, and her brother Elon got a Fields medal.

To accept OC's comment as 100% correct is to accuse two mathematicians of academic fraud. And if we're going that route, are we going to insinuate Joram Lindenstrauss responsible for both Ayelet's and Elon's academic works?

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#12

Post by tr33house » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 5:22 PM UTC

very impressive to have such fundamental contributions at such an early age. To even know it's applicability to modern day cryptography is also really impressive. All the best to Daniel Larsen!

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#13

Post by kiba » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 5:23 PM UTC

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #10

kevinventullo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean it sounds like he has already received the equivalent of an undergraduate education.

thats exactly what i mean, they made it sound like this kid was some average guy who at the age of 15 went to the public library, read books and solved some hard math problem. I bet this kid had an advanced math education and math immersion since he was a toddler.

I wish I was that enterprising at age 15.

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#14

Post by mlyle » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 5:39 PM UTC

bawolff wrote: post #6

citizenpaul wrote: post #2

Quoted post unavailable.

People learn from mentors. Its not that surprising and doesn't neccesarily imply the parent did it. The parents probably did help by teaching them math.

That's the thing.

This is a spectacularly rare accomplishment for a kid that grew up in an academic family.

But it's nearly nonexistent for kids who didn't have these advantages.

So chalk most of it up to this kid, and some of it up to his rarified environment.

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#15

Post by MikePlacid » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 6:01 PM UTC

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #10

kevinventullo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean it sounds like he has already received the equivalent of an undergraduate education.

thats exactly what i mean, they made it sound like this kid was some average guy who at the age of 15 went to the public library, read books and solved some hard math problem. I bet this kid had an advanced math education and math immersion since he was a toddler.

Dunno. My granddad was a mathematician and my mother was a mathematician (and my father was a mathematician and a computer scientist, but they divorced). Still the only “math immersion” I got was Perelman books, scattered around our apartment, like Physics for Entertainment and Algebra for Fun:

https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AYakov+Perelm...

They are both challenging and entertaining and very simple - on the surface. Some were written in 1913 or so. Each American family can get such an “immersion” for their kids - total is less than $100 I guess. But you also should turn off TV and computers, so probably would not work.

Also my daughter took major in mathematics - and I like my parents had no time to immerse her in anything - adults work, children play with fun but impractical problems.

I would rather guess that it is some genetic defect in the brain causing a person to prefer playing with abstract problems to booze, smoke and sexual gratification. But I doubt that having such a guess is allowed.

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#16

Post by Ekaros » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 6:04 PM UTC

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #10

kevinventullo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean it sounds like he has already received the equivalent of an undergraduate education.

thats exactly what i mean, they made it sound like this kid was some average guy who at the age of 15 went to the public library, read books and solved some hard math problem. I bet this kid had an advanced math education and math immersion since he was a toddler.

I doubt he didn't spend his own effort. But I also agree that he was probably heavily pushed into math, by some if not all relatives.

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#17

Post by BaseballPhysics » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 6:07 PM UTC

MikePlacid wrote: post #15

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

thats exactly what i mean, they made it sound like this kid was some average guy who at the age of 15 went to the public library, read books and solved some hard math problem. I bet this kid had an advanced math education and math immersion since he was a toddler.

Dunno. My granddad was a mathematician and my mother was a mathematician (and my father was a mathematician and a computer scientist, but they divorced). Still the only “math immersion” I got was Perelman books, scattered around our apartment, like Physics for Entertainment and Algebra for Fun: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AYakov+Perelm... They are both challenging and entertaining and very simple -…

> I would rather guess that it is some genetic defect in the brain causing a person to prefer playing with abstract problems to booze, smoke and sexual gratification. But I doubt that having such a guess is allowed.

Understandable given it's a comically elitist point of view.

Fun fact: Richard Feynman experimented with both LSD and Ketamine, among other things. Shame, imagine how much he could have achieved if he had this "genetic defect" you posit...

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#18

Post by sriram_malhar » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 6:07 PM UTC

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #7

citizenpaul wrote: post #2

Quoted post unavailable.

both his parents are mathematicians and his uncle is a fields medal winner and his grandfather is a mathematician. I'm sure this kid is very intelligent, and i could even believe he solved most of the problem himself but in the end of the article stating "“He did all this without an undergraduate education,” Grantham said." made me roll my eyes.

Mother (Ayelet), her brother (Elon .. Fields medalist), and their parents (Joram and Naomi) had their work published in the Mathematical Reviews! That family is something else!

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#19

Post by 4gotunameagain » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 6:10 PM UTC

Getting older, sometimes it can be so tough to accept the fact that people a fraction of your age achieve things you never will.

Given the extreme connectivity of the present, we are also exposed to brilliant minds with incredible capabilities, making us (me at least) feel even more incapable..

I guess it is a lesson for humility.

Good job Daniel, you show us !

Re: Teenager solves stubborn riddle about prime number look-alikes

#20

Post by BaseballPhysics » Thu, Oct 13, 2022, 6:11 PM UTC

strikelaserclaw wrote: post #10

kevinventullo wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean it sounds like he has already received the equivalent of an undergraduate education.

thats exactly what i mean, they made it sound like this kid was some average guy who at the age of 15 went to the public library, read books and solved some hard math problem. I bet this kid had an advanced math education and math immersion since he was a toddler.

Even just a strong encouragement to pursue those interests, and a willingness to push him beyond what a typical parent might expect, would go a long way.

You see the same thing in, for example, sports dynasties (e.g. Earl Woods coaching Tiger from a very young age).