The “hermit of genius,” as before, lives in Kupchino. Perelman got tired of living on his mother's pension and began giving lectures in Europe Grigory Perelman where he lives now

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman is a Russian mathematician who proved the Poincaré conjecture.

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman(b. June 13, 1966, Leningrad, USSR) - an outstanding Russian mathematician who was the first to prove the Poincaré conjecture.

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

Until the 9th grade, Perelman studied at a high 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 RGPU associate professor 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 full marks for flawlessly solving all problems. Perelman graduated from the 239th Physics and Mathematics School in Leningrad. He played table tennis well and attended music school. I didn’t receive a gold medal only because of physical education, not passing the GTO standards.

He was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad State University without exams. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only with “excellent” marks. For academic success he received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school (headed by Academician A.D. Aleksandrov) at the Leningrad branch 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 USA, where he worked as a research assistant at various universities, where his attention was drawn to one of the most complex, at that time unsolved, problems of modern mathematics - the Poincaré Conjecture. He surprised his colleagues with his ascetic lifestyle; his favorite foods were milk, bread and cheese. In 1996, he returned to St. Petersburg, continuing to work at POMI, where he worked alone on solving the Poincaré Problem.

In 2002-2003, Grigory Perelman published his three famous articles on the Internet, in which he briefly outlined his original method for solving the Poincaré 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 gave a series of talks on his work on the proof of the Poincaré 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 email.

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

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

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

Scientific contribution

Main article: Poincaré 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 geometric school, at the beginning of his work on the Poincaré Problem also 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 innovative work devoted to the solution of one of the special cases of William Thurston's geometrization conjecture, from which the validity of the famous Poincaré conjecture, formulated by the French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Henri Poincaré in 1904, follows. The method of studying the Ricci flow described by the scientist was called Hamilton-Perelman theory.

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 Prize for solving the Poincaré conjecture (the official wording for the award: “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 too.

In 2006, Science magazine named the proof of Poincaré's theorem the scientific breakthrough of the year. Breakthrough of the Year). This is the first work in mathematics to earn this title.

In 2006, Sylvia Nasar and David Gruber published the article "Manifold Destiny", which talks about Grigory Perelman, his work on solving the Poincaré Problem, ethical principles in science and the mathematical community, and also contains a rare interview with him. The article devotes considerable space to criticism of the Chinese mathematician Yau Shintan, who, together with his students, tried to challenge the completeness of the proof of the Poincaré Hypothesis 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 Shintan and the scandal associated with accusations against him of attempts to belittle Perelman's contribution to the proof of the Poincaré Hypothesis. The article cites a fact unheard of in mathematical science - Yau Shintan hired a law firm to defend his case and threatened to prosecute his critics.

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

In March 2010, the Clay Mathematics Institute awarded Grigory Perelman a US$1 million prize for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture, the first ever prize awarded for solving one of the Millennium Problems. In June 2010, Perelman ignored a mathematical conference in Paris, at which the Millennium Prize was supposed to be awarded for the proof of the Poincaré conjecture, and on July 1, 2010, he publicly announced his refusal of the prize, citing the following reasons:

Note that such a public assessment of the merits of Richard Hamilton by the mathematician who proved the Poincaré Hypothesis 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, encountering insurmountable technical difficulties.

In September 2011, the Clay Institute, together with the Henri Poincaré Institute (Paris), created 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 Christodoulou were awarded the so-called. The $1,000,000 Shao Prize in Mathematics, also sometimes called the Nobel Prize of the East. Richard Hamilton was awarded for creating a mathematical theory, which was then developed by Grigory Perelman in his work to prove the Poincaré conjecture. It is known that Hamilton accepted this award.

Interesting Facts

• In his work “The entropy formula for 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 partly financed by personal savings during his visits to the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the State University of New York (SUNY), the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of California in Berkeley, and thanks the organizers of these trips. At the same time, the official mathematical community allocated millions in grants to individual research groups in order to understand and test Perelman’s work.
• When a member of the Stanford University hiring committee asked Perelman for C.V. (resume), as well as letters of recommendation, Perelman opposed:

• The Manifold Destiny article was noticed by the outstanding mathematician Vladimir Arnold, who proposed reprinting it in the Moscow journal Uspekhi Matematicheskikh Nauk, where he was a member of the editorial board. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Sergei Novikov, refused him. According to Arnold, the refusal was due to the fact that the editor-in-chief of the magazine feared retaliation from Yau, since he also worked in the USA.
• 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, co-workers and colleagues. Perelman's teacher Sergei Rukshin was critical of the book.

• Grigory Perelman became the protagonist of the documentary film “The Spell of the Poincaré Hypothesis” directed by Masahito Kasuga, filmed by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2008.
• In April 2010, the “Khrushchev Millionaire” episode of the talk show “Let Them Talk” was dedicated to Grigory Perelman. It was attended by Grigory’s friends, his school teachers, as well as journalists who communicated with Perelman.
• In the 27th episode of “Big Difference” on Channel One, a parody of Grigory Perelman was presented in the hall. 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 famous 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 the executive producer of the Moscow film company President Film, Alexander Zabrovsky, and agreed to shoot a feature film about him. Masha Gessen, however, doubts that these statements are true. Vladimir Gubailovsky also believes that the interview with Perelman is fictitious.

"Biography"

Grigory Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad into a Jewish family. His father Yakov was an electrical engineer (contrary to popular belief, Yakov Isidorovich Perelman, a famous popularizer of physics, mathematics and astronomy, is not the father of Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman), emigrated to Israel in 1993. Mother, Lyubov Leibovna, remained in St. Petersburg and worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school. It was his mother, who played the violin, who instilled in the future mathematician a love of classical music. Grigory Perelman has a younger sister, Elena (born 1976), also a mathematician, a graduate of St. Petersburg University (1998), who defended her PhD thesis at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot in 2003; Since 2007 he has been working as a programmer in Stockholm.

Education

Until the 9th grade, Perelman studied at a high school on the outskirts of Leningrad, and then transferred to the 239th physics and mathematics school. He played table tennis well and attended music school. I didn’t receive a gold medal only because of physical education, not passing the GTO standards. From the 5th grade, Grigory studied at the mathematics center at the Palace of Pioneers under the guidance of RGPU associate professor 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 full marks for flawlessly solving all problems.
He was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad State University without exams. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only with “excellent” marks. For academic success he received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school (scientific supervisor - A.D. Aleksandrov) at the Leningrad branch of the Mathematical Institute. V. A. Steklova (LOMI - until 1992; then - POMI). Having defended his Ph.D. thesis on “Saddle surfaces in Euclidean spaces” in 1990, he remained to work at the institute as a senior researcher.

Activity

"News"

Will blockchain help solve the problem of authorship in science (part 2)

As part of the special project “Intellectual Property and Blockchain,” the Forklog editors prepared material dedicated to iconic historical examples of scientific collaborations that changed the world.

Using their example, you will be able to identify for yourself the fundamental problems that academic science still faces today.

The lyceum where mathematician Perelman studied became the best school in Russia

St. Petersburg Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239 topped the list of the best schools in Russia.

As the Rosbalt correspondent was informed by the press service of the Education Committee, the lyceum took first place in the top 500 and 25 best schools in the country for the third time in a row.

“Perelman really studied with us”

“We are not chasing know-how. It's all nonsense. Innovation must be justified, not for its own sake. Let’s say that the use of computer technology does not always contribute to the growth of knowledge,” Maxim Pratusevich, director of the Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239, named the best school in the country, told the VZGLYAD newspaper. It was this school that the famous mathematician Grigory Perelman graduated from.

On Thursday, Russia celebrates Teacher's Day. In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets and the head of the Ministry of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva presented the “Best Schools in Russia” rating for 2016–2017 on Wednesday. It includes 500 educational institutions from almost all regions of the country, but almost a third of the list - 136 schools - is in Moscow.

Mathematician G. Perelman may become the star of a Hollywood film
The biography of the outstanding Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman, who proved the Poincaré conjecture, may become the subject of a documentary film, which is going to be directed by the creator of the Titanic, James Cameron. Israeli journalist Alexander Zabrovsky told Komsomolskaya Pravda about this.
Read in full: http://top.rbc.ru/society/02/08/2012/662880.shtml

The ECB left the policy rate at a historical low of 0.75%.

08/02/2012, Brussels 15:45:15 The European Central Bank (ECB) left the discount rate at the historical minimum of 0.75%, the bank said in a statement released today. This decision coincided with analysts' forecasts.
link: http://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/20120802154515. shtml

Interview with mathematician Grigory Perelman: Why do I need a million dollars? I can control the universe

It’s been a year since Grigory Perelman, who proved Poincaré’s theorem, which scientists from all over the world had been struggling with for decades, refused the million-dollar prize awarded to him!

It’s hard to say what struck us, ordinary people, more: the fact that our scientist outdid everyone else, or the fact that he refused astronomical money! I immediately wanted to ask: “What kind of rich man is doing this weird thing here?!” As it turned out, Grigory Yakovlevich lives in St. Petersburg, in a Khrushchev building, with his mother, practically vegetating in poverty... But he is not interested in what ordinary men are interested in - money, wine, women... Perelman was never married. Having become a “millionaire from the khrushchev”, he closed himself off from the whole world. He lives as a hermit, occasionally going out to the store with a string bag. Communicates only with a few close associates. Doesn't cut his hair, doesn't shave, doesn't cut his nails
link: http://www.kp.ru/daily/25677. 3/836229/

Millionaire from the khrushchev Grigory Perelman - Report Russian scientist Grigory Perelman, who became the first ever winner of the Millennium Prize, will receive a million US dollars. Its founder, the American Clay Institute, announced that the Russian managed to realize the age-old dream of mathematicians around the world - to prove the Poincaré conjecture. In its original formulation it reads as follows: “Every simply connected compact three-dimensional manifold without boundary is geomorphic to a three-dimensional sphere.” Translated into common parlance, this means that any three-dimensional object, such as a glass, can be transformed into a ball by deformation alone, meaning it does not need to be cut or glued together. In other words, Poincare suggested that space is not three-dimensional, but contains a significantly larger number of dimensions, and Perelman mathematically proved this 100 years later. link: http://www.5-tv.ru/news/27451/

Grigory Perelman proved that there is no God Until recently, mathematics did not promise either fame or wealth to its “priests”. They weren't even given the Nobel Prize. There is no such nomination. After all, according to a very popular legend, Nobel’s wife once cheated on him with a mathematician. And in retaliation, the rich man deprived all their crooked brethren of his respect and prize money. link: http://kem.kp.ru/daily/24466. 4/626061/

Absolutely normal person The “first-ever” interview with Grigory Perelman, although it contains a number of inaccuracies, gives a much better idea of ​​the personality of this outstanding mathematician than the vast majority of previous publications about him in the Russian media. Read in full: http://www.gazeta.ru/science/ 2011/05/04_a_3603217.shtml

Grigory Perelman. How not to become a millionaire In 2002-2003, Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman published on the Internet a proof of the Poincaré conjecture that had not been given to any of his colleagues for almost a hundred years. Perelman was awaited by fame, numerous awards and a $1 million prize awarded for solving this problem by the charitable Clay Institute. Perelman, however, refused both honors and money, and a few years later he left mathematics altogether. Deputy editor-in-chief of the Snob project Masha Gessen wrote a book dedicated to the mathematician. The book was originally published in English in the USA, now a translation of the book “Impeccable Rigor. Grigory Perelman: genius and the task of the millennium” is published in Russian by CORPUS publishing house (translated by Ilya Krieger). Forbes publishes excerpts from the book, including the chapter “How Not to Become a Millionaire.” link: http://www.forbes.ru/ekonomika/lyudi/65531-grigorii-perelman-kak-ne-stat- millionerom

Grigory Perelman: I am not Britney Spears! Five years ago, Grigory PERELMAN was awarded the highest award in the mathematical world - the Fields Gold Medal. Thus, his colleagues recognized the correctness of his proof of the Poincaré conjecture. And the Clay Institute of Mathematics awarded Perelman a $1 million prize. However, he refused the money. On June 13, Perelman turns 45 years old. Until now, the famous mathematician had avoided journalists, but on the eve of the anniversary he made an exception for Express Gazeta. link: http://eg.ru/daily/melochi/26010/

Grigory Perelman as an ideal scientist for power When, at the General Meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences in May of this year, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that for him the ideal of a Russian scientist was Grigory Perelman, it was unlikely that he realized that Grigory Perelman, quite possibly, appeared to him as the ideal of a Russian security official. Every person wants to be good, and every person is outraged by the injustices that are happening in the world. And everyone just wants to “throw an iron verse drenched in bitterness and anger in their faces” and, like Perelman, not accept their million or, like Vladimir Putin, declare that there is no one to talk to, except perhaps Mahatma Gandhi. link: http://www.ng.ru/science/2010-10-13/11_perelman.html

Grigory Perelman's acquaintances spoke about his childhood The news of the $1 million “Millennium Prize” being awarded to the reclusive St. Petersburg mathematician excited the entire country. Firstly, there is legitimate pride in a fellow countryman who has solved one of the most difficult problems on the planet. Secondly, his refusal to accept this money is somewhat surprising. Why? It would be good to ask this question to the scientist himself. But he is tightly closed to everyone except those he knows and respects. It was them that AiF asked about the mysterious reclusive genius link: http://www.aif.ru/society/article/33851

Grigory Perelman thought about offspring The reclusive St. Petersburg scientist Grigory Perelman said that for the first time he thought about continuing his family line. He made a frank confession to the mathematics teacher who taught the future Fields Medal winner the exact sciences from the fifth grade, Valentina Berdova. link: http://www.lifenews.ru/news/ 23048

Grigory Perelman celebrated his birthday for 15 rubles St. Petersburg mathematician Grigory Perelman, who proved one of the seven main mathematical problems of the millennium - the Poincaré conjecture - and refused the $1 million owed for it, celebrated his 44th birthday extremely modestly. The outstanding scientist did not invite guests to his apartment in Kupchin, since in recent years he had been leading a reclusive lifestyle, and the meal was not at all festive. Over the past two weeks, Perelman has only left his apartment twice. The first time he walked with his mother, they live together. On the second, June 13, his birthday, the mathematician went down to the nearest store and bought half a loaf of rye bread. The holiday purchase cost the scientist 15 rubles. link: http://www.utro.ru/articles/ 2010/06/15/900967.shtml

Grigory Perelman, who proved Poincaré's theorem, refuses awards Grigory Perelman, who proved the Poincaré conjecture, refuses numerous awards and cash prizes awarded to him for this achievement, the Guardian newspaper reports. After extensive review of the evidence, which lasted almost four years, the scientific community concluded that Perelman's solution was correct. link: http://lenta.ru/news/2006/08/16/perelman/

Grigory Perelman refused to be an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences St. Petersburg mathematician Grigory Perelman did not respond to requests from the Steklov Mathematical Institute, which nominated him as an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, LentaRu reports, citing Interfax and a representative of the St. Petersburg branch of the institute. According to him, the institute never received a response from the scientist to calls and telegrams. Thus, Perelman will not become an academician, since this requires his consent. The preparation of lists of candidates for academicianship of the Russian Academy of Sciences should be completed on October 4. Voting on them will take place in December. It was previously reported that Perelman will most likely refuse to join the ranks of academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientific council of the St. Petersburg branch of the Steklov Mathematical Institute proposed Perelman's candidacy in early September, but it was never possible to contact the mathematician. link: http://www.amic.ru/news/ 162006/

I'm proud of people like Grigory Perelman The famous mathematician Grigory Perelman turned out to be elusive not only for foreign luminaries of science, but also for domestic ones: the scientist did not accept the offer to become a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Utro.ru reports this. G. Perelman simply ignored all requests sent by the Steklov Mathematical Institute, which nominated him as an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, without answering either telegrams or phone calls. link: http://security-zone.ru/?p= 2920 Grigory Perelman ignored his nomination to academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Representative of the St. Petersburg branch of the Mathematical Institute named after. Vladimir Steklov, who proposed to nominate Perelman as an academician, said that the scientist did not answer a single telegram or telephone call and did not try to contact the institute himself. Thus, he will not be nominated by this institution. link: http://www.dp.ru/a/2011/10/03/ Grigorij_Perelman_ne_zhel/ The smartest person in the world refused a million dollar reward for solving a complex mathematical problem A Russian who was awarded a one million dollar prize for solving one of the most difficult mathematical problems, announced yesterday that he does not want to take this money. 44-year-old Dr. Grigory Perelman, considered by many to be the smartest man in the world, lives in St. Petersburg in an empty apartment infested with cockroaches. Through the closed door he said, “I have everything I need.” More details: http://news.mail.ru/society/3549898/ Probably cool Grisha Perelman, a Jewish mathematical luminary, was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad into a poor Jewish family. Grisha’s father, Yakov, an electrician by profession, left his family in 1993 and went to Israel, and his mother, Lyubov Leibovna, a mathematics teacher at a vocational school and a violinist, remained on the farm and instilled in Grisha a passion for mathematics and classical music. Even from the cradle, Grisha began to attend a synagogue, and, most importantly, a mathematics school, where he was noticeably different from his peers and even from teachers in his unprecedented mathematical mind. link: http://lohi.ru/post/414 Grigory Perelman never contacted the Russian Academy of Sciences Earlier, the St. Petersburg branch of the Steklov Mathematical Institute offered a mathematician to become an academician. The lists of candidates were to be prepared by October 4. Now, the Academy of Sciences emphasizes, Perelman will not be nominated. He did not answer either telegrams or phone calls. link:

Russian mathematician who proved the Poincaré conjecture

Russian scientist who proved the Poincaré conjecture, one of the fundamental problems of mathematics. Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. He worked at the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) department of the Steklov Mathematical Institute and taught at a number of US universities. Since 2003, he has not worked and hardly communicates with outsiders.

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad. His father was an electrical engineer who immigrated to Israel in 1993. Mother remained in St. Petersburg, worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school.

Perelman graduated from high school No. 239 with in-depth study of mathematics. In 1982, as part of a team of schoolchildren, he participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest. In the same year, he was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad State University without exams. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. He received a Lenin scholarship and graduated from the university with honors.

In November 2002 - July 2003, Perelman posted three scientific articles on the website arXiv.org, which in an extremely condensed form contained a solution to one of the special cases of William Thurston's geometrization hypothesis, leading to a proof of the Poincaré conjecture. The proof of this conjecture (which states that every simply connected closed three-dimensional manifold is homeomorphic to a three-dimensional sphere) was considered one of the fundamental problems of mathematics. The method of studying Ricci flow described by the scientist was called the Hamilton-Perelman theory. These works by Perelman did not receive official scientific publication status, since arXiv.org is a preprint library and not a peer-reviewed journal. Perelman made no attempts to officially publish these works.

In 2003, Perelman gave a series of lectures in the United States on his work, after which he returned to St. Petersburg and settled in his mother’s apartment in Kupchino. In December 2005, he resigned from his post as a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, resigned from the Mathematical Institute and almost completely broke off contacts with colleagues.

After Perelman's work appeared, several groups of mathematicians began to verify the correctness of his proofs. Over four years of checking and detailing Perelman's calculations, leading experts in this field did not find any errors. On August 22, 2006, Perelman was awarded the Fields Medal "for his contributions to geometry and revolutionary advances in understanding the analytical and geometric structure of the Ricci flow." Perelman refused to accept the award and communicate with journalists. At the same time, he said that he said goodbye to the scientific community and no longer considered himself a professional mathematician.

In December 2006, Perelman's proof of Poincare's theory was named the main scientific breakthrough of the year by Science magazine.

For the proof of the Poincaré conjecture, the Clay Mathematical Institute (USA) awarded a prize of one million dollars, the “Millennium Prize”. According to the prize's rules, Perelman can be awarded the award upon publication of his work in a peer-reviewed journal. Despite this, in March 2010 he was announced as the winner of the prize, but as The Daily Mail reported at the end of the same month, Perelman refused this prize as well. Nevertheless, in June 2010, the award ceremony was held: a symbolic certificate of the Millennium Prize was given to the Russian mathematician Mikhail Gromov, who worked in France, and Francois Poincaré, the grandson of Henri Poincaré, who put forward the hypothesis confirmed by Perelman. At the end of the same month, Perelman officially notified the Clay Institute of his final refusal of the award. The mathematician cited disagreement with the unfair decisions of the mathematical community as the reason for the refusal. At the same time, he emphasized that his contribution to the proof of the Poincaré conjecture was no greater than that of Hamilton.

In April 2011, after a long silence, Perelman gave his first interview to the Israeli journalist and executive producer of the Moscow film company "President Film" Alexander Zabrovsky. In this interview, the mathematician, when asked why he did not take a million dollars, replied that this money was nothing for “the man who rules the Universe.” In addition, Perelman agreed to star in Zbarovsky’s film, which was supposed to be about “the cooperation and confrontation of the three main world mathematical schools: Russian, Chinese and American, which are the most advanced along the path of studying and managing the Universe.”

In September 2011, it became known that the Clay Institute had decided to allocate a million dollars intended for Perelman to scholarships for young gifted mathematicians. In the same month, the academic council of the St. Petersburg branch of the Steklov Institute nominated Perelman for the post of academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but the scientist did not react to this initiative and was not included in the list of candidates for academician.

In The Sunday Telegraph's list of 100 living geniuses published in October 2007, Perelman shared ninth place with Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and American minimalist composer Philip Glass.

Used materials

Perelman refused to become an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. - Interfax, 03.10.2011

Modest math man"s million goes to young scholars. - Russia Today, 23.09.2011

Math genius’ $1m to go to charity. - Voice of Russia, 22.09.2011

RAS: to elect Perelman as an academician, his consent is required. - Vesti.Ru, 14.09.2011

Irina Tumakova. Grigory Perelman has been nominated as an academician. - News, 13.09.2011

Anna Veligzhanina. Interview with mathematician Grigory Perelman: Why do I need a million dollars? I can control the Universe. - TVNZ, 28.04.2011

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 Poincaré conjecture placed him on a par with the greatest scientists in world history. 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 of Grigory Perelman

On June 13, 1966, Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman, 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 a very common opinion that Grigory is the son of Yakov Perelman, a famous popularizer of science. However, this is a misconception, because he died in besieged Leningrad in March 1942, so he could not have been the father. 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 interested in astronomy and physics. This man is considered the founder of entertaining science, as well as one of the first to write works in the genre of popular science literature. He is the creator of the book "Living Mathematics". Perelman wrote many other books. In addition, his bibliography includes more than a thousand articles. As for a book like "Living Mathematics", Perelman presents in it various puzzles related to this science. Many of them are presented in the form of short stories. This book is aimed primarily at teenagers.

In one respect, the book authored by Yakov Perelman (“Entertaining Mathematics”) is also particularly interesting. Trillion - do you know what this number is? This is 10 21. For a long time in the USSR, two scales existed in parallel - “short” and “long”. According to Perelman, the “short” one was used in financial calculations and everyday life, and the “long” one was used in scientific works devoted to physics and astronomy. So, a trillion on the “short” scale does not exist. 10 21 is called a sextillion. These scales generally differ significantly.

However, we will not dwell on this in detail and move on to the story of 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 famous namesake who instilled a love of science in Gregory.

Perelman's mother and her influence on Grigory Yakovlevich

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

Childhood of a future scientist

From a young age, Gregory was distinguished by his literate speech, both written and oral. He often amazed teachers at school with this. By the way, until the 9th grade, Perelman studied in a secondary school, apparently a typical one, of which there are so many on the outskirts. And then teachers from the Palace of Pioneers noticed the 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

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

It is not surprising that he was enrolled without exams at Leningrad State University, in the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. By the way, Grigory, oddly enough, did not receive a gold medal at school. A physical education grade prevented this. Passing the sports standards at that time was mandatory for everyone, including those who could hardly imagine themselves at the vaulting pole or at the barbell. He got straight A's in other subjects.

Study at Leningrad State University

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 receive a prestigious Lenin scholarship. So he became the owner of 120 rubles - a lot of money at that time. He must have had a good time at that 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 during the Soviet years. In 1924, for example, V. Leontyev 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 prize, who received it for his contribution to this science, was a professor of mathematics and mechanics.

Continuing education, life in the USA

After graduating from Leningrad State University, Grigory Perelman entered the Steklov Mathematical Institute to continue his graduate studies. Soon he flew to the USA to represent this educational institution. This country has always been considered a state of unlimited freedom, especially during Soviet times among the inhabitants of our country. Many people dreamed of seeing her, but the mathematician Perelman was not one of them. It seems that the temptations of the West went unnoticed by 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 conducted teaching activities. The scientist met with his mathematician colleagues. After 6 years he got bored with America.

Return to Russia

Gregory 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. Grigory decided to break off all relations with his colleagues. The scientist decided to lock himself in his Leningrad apartment and begin a grandiose work...

Topology

It is not easy to explain what Perelman proved in mathematics. Only big fans 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 derived. Grigory Yakovlevich was attracted by topology. This is a branch of mathematics, often also called rubber sheet geometry. Topology is the study of geometric shapes that persist when a form is bent, twisted, or stretched. In other words, if it is absolutely elastically deformed - without gluing, cutting or tearing. Topology is very important for such a discipline as mathematical physics. It gives an idea of ​​the properties of space. In our case, we are talking about infinite space, which is continuously expanding, that is, about the Universe.

Poincaré conjecture

The great French physicist, mathematician and philosopher J. A. Poincaré was the first to develop a hypothesis in this regard. This happened at the beginning of the 20th century. But it should be noted that he made an assumption, and did not provide proof. Perelman set himself the task of proving this hypothesis, of deducing a logically verified mathematical solution a whole century later.

When talking about its essence, they usually start as follows. Take a rubber disc. 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 and tying it with a cord. It turns out to be 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 for an unprepared person to understand. We should now imagine a three-dimensional sphere, that is, a ball stretched over something, which goes into another dimension. The three-dimensional sphere, according to the hypothesis, is the only existing three-dimensional object that can be tightened 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.

Poincaré conjecture and the Big Bang theory

It should be noted that this hypothesis is a confirmation of the Big Bang theory. If the Universe is a single “figure”, the distinctive feature of which 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 a person, who is a secondary product belonging only to planet Earth and not even to the cosmos as a whole, capable of cognizing this mystery? Those who are interested can be encouraged to read the works of another world-famous mathematician - Stephen Hawking. However, he cannot yet say anything concrete about this. Let's hope that another Perelman will appear in the future and he will be able to solve this mystery, which torments the imagination of many. Who knows, maybe Grigory Yakovlevich himself will still be able to do this.

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, considering that such an award simply does not exist. A whole legend was created about the reasons why Nobel deprived representatives of such an important science. To this day, no Nobel Prize in mathematics is awarded. Perelman probably would have gotten it if it existed. There is a legend that the reason for Nobel’s rejection of mathematicians is as follows: it was to a representative of this science that his fiancee left him. Whether this is true or not, it was only with the advent of the 21st century that justice finally triumphed. It was then that another prize for mathematicians appeared. Let's talk briefly about its history.

How did the Clay Institute Prize come about?

At a mathematical congress held in 1900 in Paris, he proposed a list of 23 problems that needed to be solved in the new, 20th century. To date, 21 of them have already been resolved. By the way, a graduate of the Leningrad State University of Mathematics and Mechanics, Yu. V. Matiyasevich, completed the solution to the 10th of these problems in 1970. At the beginning of the 21st century, the American Clay Institute compiled a similar list, consisting of seven problems in mathematics. They should have been solved in the 21st century. A million dollar reward was announced for the solution of each of them. Back in 1904, Poincaré formulated one of these problems. He hypothesized 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 a big role in the development of nanotechnology.

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

How Perelman was awarded the Clay Prize

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

Why did the mathematician Perelman refuse the prize?

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

By the way, a little later a joke even appeared on this topic: mathematicians should be allocated millions more often, perhaps someone will still decide to take them. A year after Perelman's refusal, Demetrios Christodoulou and Richard Hamilton were awarded the Shaw Prize. This mathematics award is worth one million dollars. This prize is sometimes also called the Nobel Prize of the East. Hamilton received it for creating a mathematical theory. It was this that was later developed by the Russian mathematician Perelman in his works devoted to the proof of the Poincaré conjecture. Richard accepted this award.

Other awards that Grigory Perelman refused

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

10 years later, in 2006, the scientist was awarded the Fields Medal for solving the Poincaré conjecture. Grigory Yakovlevich refused her too.

Science magazine 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 to earn this title.

David Gruber and Sylvia Nasar published a paper in 2006 called Manifold Destiny. It talks about Perelman, about his solution to the Poincaré problem. In addition, the article talks about the mathematical community and the ethical principles existing in science. It also features a rare interview with Perelman. Much has been said about the criticism of Yau Shintan, a Chinese mathematician. Together with his students, he tried to challenge the completeness of the evidence presented by Grigory Yakovlevich. In an interview, Perelman noted: “It’s not those who violate ethical standards in science that are considered outsiders. People like me are the ones who find themselves isolated.”

In September 2011, 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 based on interviews with Perelman's classmates, teachers, colleagues and co-workers. 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.