I remember reading something about why the Chinese are so good at maths in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. I can remember exactly why from the top of my head but its something to with numbers being shorter in Chinese languages. Also, their counting system is more logically structured eg...
I remember reading something about why the Chinese are so good at maths in Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers. I can remember exactly why from the top of my head but its something to with numbers being shorter in Chinese languages. Also, their counting system is more logically structured eg...
Twelve is ten-two, thirteen is ten-three...
It also helps that the stereotype of parents "making" children study for 8-10 hours a day isn't really that untrue.
Terence Tao is Australian/American (competed in the IMO for USA aswell).
Most people would count wimbledon from the beginning of the open era, so it's not really an adequate comparison as the fields medal is a modern award.
Terence Tao is a Hong Kong Chinese who emigrated to Australia as is Shing Tung Yau who went from China to HK then to the US.
When Sampras won his 7th Wimbledon crown, a newspaper remarked it was did not break William Renshaw's 6 in a row! Even Wikipedia cites this.
In any case, France has more winners (10) to the UK (6), so on that account, the best mathematicians are the French. However, their unis rarely feature in the top 30 in the world for maths, which either means judging by Fields Medals wins is inaccurate or league tables are sujective (or both)!
Terence Tao is a Hong Kong Chinese who emigrated to Australia as is Shing Tung Yau who went from China to HK then to the US.
When Sampras won his 7th Wimbledon crown, a newspaper remarked it was did not break William Renshaw's 6 in a row! Even Wikipedia cites this.
In any case, France has more winners (10) to the UK (6), so on that account, the best mathematicians are the French. However, their unis rarely feature in the top 30 in the world for maths, which either means judging by Fields Medals wins is inaccurate or league tables are sujective (or both)!
Terence Tao was actually born in Australia but it's a minor point...I certainly wouldn't use fields medals as a measure of a nation's mathematical ability
Terence Tao was actually born in Australia but it's a minor point...I certainly wouldn't use fields medals as a measure of a nation's mathematical ability
Yes you are correct, my mistake!
However, whilst one might say never judge a book by its cover, let's be honest, if you were to spot him in the street, you'd say he's Oriental (not necessarily Chinese), not Australian.
Using Fields Medal to measure a nation's mathematical ability is a stupid idea.
If you go by stats alone, GB are the best nation in tennis, or at least on grass, since they've won Wimbledon more times than any other country!
I am willing to hear otherwise but I thought Tao was Australian born US citizen, you are right about Yau, born in China. PhD in Berkeley though. China comes of age mathematically when someone educated in China gets a Fields Medal (or similar achievement). I am sure they will get there soon.
Especially this guy and the guy who was 16 the year before him?
They gave Aaron a place but put a huge amount of restrictions on him. He's not allowed on college grounds after 6 and his dad has had to move to Cambridge to live with him. There were a pile of other restrictions as well that I can't remember off the top of my head.