Chapter 49: Absurd News
“Sorry, I know that since I came to Hong Kong University, everyone has been looking forward to me holding a more professional academic lecture in Hong Kong.
I’ve been preparing all along. The reason I arranged this academic lecture for today is entirely because I was thinking that the young people from Hong Kong in my seminar could also understand the content, and find directions of interest from the topics I introduce, producing content of value.”
In the Hong Kong University Lecture Hall, compared to the single digits of people sparsely attending in the previous month, this time it was packed full.
Besides local Hong Kong mathematicians, there were mathematicians from various places in Asia, with the most coming from Japan and India.
Japan is because their postwar economy rapidly recovered, and Kunihiko Shioda winning the Fields Medal in 54 created a thick mathematical atmosphere in Japan.
And Kunihiko Shioda’s research direction is mainly complex algebraic geometry, which overlaps massively with the Randolph Program.
Leading Japan side with Kunihiko Shioda at the helm, a group of mathematicians from University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Osaka University came to Hong Kong University, hoping to exchange directly with Lin Ran.
If you don’t come to Japan, then we’ll come to Hong Kong.
India is because of the existence of Ramanujan; India’s mathematical research mainly concentrates in the fields of number theory and statistics, and Fermat’s Last Theorem is the bright pearl on the crown of number theory.
They also urgently hope to exchange directly with Lin Ran.
The Hong Kong University lecture hall was full of people; Hong Kong reporters who heard the news stood at the back taking photos, all having thought up titles: Light of the Chinese gives first lecture in Hong Kong, unexpectedly drawing mathematicians from various Asian countries to make a pilgrimage.
In the view of Hong Kong media, even though Kunihiko Shioda won the Fields Medal, his status definitely cannot compare to Lin Ran who did Fermat’s Conjecture.
“I believe that all of you came from afar to hear my lecture, so you must have some understanding of Fermat’s Conjecture and its proof.
I want to talk about my new conjecture following Fermat’s Conjecture.
I want to start first from Fermat on the Diophantine Problem.”
Lin Ran is the type to grab Fermat and relentlessly milk him.
The Diophantine Problem is the problem posed by the ancient Greek mathematician Diophantus: find 4 rational numbers such that the product of any two plus 1 is the square of a rational number.
And Fermat found a positive integer solution {1, 3, 8, 120}, and posed the problem: can a fifth integer be added to this set such that the new set also satisfies the Diophantine conditions.
“For Fermat’s Diophantine Conjecture, I only need one piece of paper to complete the proof.”
The mathematicians present were in an uproar, because although Fermat’s Diophantine Conjecture is not as famous as Fermat’s Last Theorem, it has similarly troubled the mathematics community and remains unsolved to this day.
And now you say you only need one piece of paper; this is too exaggerated.
“The general process is like this: first establish the Diophantine Equations, then convert to Pell equations, then utilize linear form in logarithms theory to exclude other solutions.”
The A Sans in the audience could no longer hold back, and raised hands one after another to question: “Professor Lin, what is this linear form in logarithms theory here?
Why have I never heard of this theory?”
“I haven’t heard of it either.”
Discussion arose in the audience; Chen Jingrun had already realized what Lin Ran was going to talk about.
“That’s right, next I will continue to talk about linear form in logarithms theory.
We given algebraic numbers α1, α2″
“This theory expands Gelfond and Schneider’s theory on transcendental numbers; we extend the theoretical scope to linear combinations of multiple logarithms.
Additionally, it improves the classical techniques in Diophantine Approximation, allowing everyone to use this method to estimate the lower bound of linear forms.”
Enthusiastic applause rang out in the hall; everyone was a mathematician and knew how useful this thing is.
It can be said that as long as the method constructed by Lin Ran has no loopholes, then this so-called linear form in logarithms theory will become a powerful tool in modern number theory, capable of helping to solve a large pile of problems in Diophantine analysis and transcendental number fields.
“This method can transform abstract number theory problems into operable calculations; it connects branches of the Randolph Program.”
Because the proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem used the Yoshiyuki Goro-Shimura conjecture, Goro Shimura who leapt to associate professor in the University of Tokyo Mathematics Department also followed the big East University troop to Hong Kong.
Sitting in the lecture hall, Goro Shimura felt that Lin Jun was simply a god; the light from the window behind sprinkled on him, like bathing in divine light.
He thought to himself: “Lin Jun is already unwilling to just do conjectures; he is making tools, connecting the mathematical map he proposed into a complete whole?
As expected of the man called Gauss.”
Not only was Goro Shimura thoroughly convinced, but none of the number theorists present were unconvinced.
Lin Ran continued: “Then is the most important content of today; besides being used to prove Fermat’s Diophantine Conjecture, the aforementioned linear form in logarithms theory has even greater significance in supporting this conjecture of mine.
I name it the ABC Conjecture.”
It’s that ABC Conjecture that Shinichi Mochizuki claimed to have proved.
After Lin Ran finished introducing the ABC Conjecture in detail, the audience erupted in applause; the content of this academic lecture was a bit too rich.
First Fermat’s Diophantine Conjecture was proved, then Lin Ran proposed a new number theory method, and finally he pulled out a conjecture that looks extremely difficult at a glance.
“The reason I thought of the ABC Conjecture is because it contains a simpler proof path for Fermat’s Last Theorem; my intuitive feeling is that it is harder than Fermat’s Last Theorem.
Additionally, it connects multiple branches including prime distribution, Diophantine Equations, and modular forms; it is the key to understanding the essence of integers.”
The lecture including Q&A lasted a full three days.
None of this group of Asian mathematicians could escape the Hong Kong reporters’ flying legs.
“Lin Jun is Asia’s greatest mathematician; his achievements in the field of mathematics far exceed mine.” Kunihiko Shioda’s original words.
Once on the Hong Kong newspapers, it became: “Japan’s Mathematics Emperor claims to have seen Professor Lin and wanted to kneel.”
Kunihiko Shioda seeing it would probably be dumbfounded: when did I become Japan’s Mathematics Emperor, and when did I want to kneel.
The kneeling here was even matched with a picture, greatly increasing credibility.
Because after the lecture ended, the Japan side strongly insisted on inviting Lin Ran to dinner; Kunihiko Shioda led with ninety-degree bows.
The Japanese face engineering is truly impressive.
It was perfectly captured by Hong Kong reporters.
Leading to this rumor having tons of believers in the future on the Chinese Internet; in mathematical wild history, it even became: Lin Ran shook his majestic frame, and Kunihiko Shioda surrendered on the spot.
Lin Ran had prepared an excuse in advance, saying he had to treat his own students to dinner, and refused the Japan side on grounds of inconvenience.
During the dinner, for the recommendation letter requests from the local Hong Kong students present, Lin Ran accepted them all without refusal.
It was just that Chen Jingrun wanting to go to Columbia University to study for a PhD in Mathematics under him truly surprised him somewhat.
“Dehui, you have great talent. From the second half of the year, I probably won’t have much time to teach you. Like this: I recommend you go study for Harvey Cohen’s PhD; what do you think?”
Extra update begging for follow reads, also begging for monthly tickets; in short, give whatever you can! Finally, don’t say it’s crow water! Even if you say crow water, crow won’t admit it!
