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- Grigory Perelman — 60: why the mathematician refused a million dollars and world fame
Grigory Perelman — 60: why the mathematician refused a million dollars and world fame
One of the most famous and at the same time closed mathematicians of our time, Grigory Perelman, was born 60 years ago, whose name is associated with solving one of the most important tasks of the millennium and rejecting world scientific fame and multimillion—dollar prizes. Read more about the scientist's life in the Izvestia article.
Who is Grigory Perelman and why did the whole world find out about him?
Grigory Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad. The scientist's father was an electrical engineer and moved to Israel in 1993, while his mother, who worked as a math teacher, remained in the city. Grigory is the eldest child in the family, he has a sister.
Grigory Perelman in his youth
From an early age, Perelman showed an aptitude for the exact sciences. At first he studied in a regular school, but from the fifth grade he began to attend a math club in the Leningrad Palace of Pioneers under the guidance of Sergei Rukshin. Later, he continued his studies at Physics and Mathematics School No. 239. In 1982, as a member of the USSR national team, he won the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, receiving the highest score.
After school, Perelman was enrolled without exams at the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics, where he repeatedly won student Olympiads. After graduating from the university with a red diploma, he entered the postgraduate program of the Leningrad Department of the Steklov Mathematical Institute, where academician Alexander Alexandrov became his supervisor. In 1990, Perelman defended his PhD thesis and remained working at the institute.
In the early 1990s, he also worked abroad, taught at New York University and Stony Brook University, and then continued his work at the University of California at Berkeley (in 2026, the university was included in the list of international and foreign non-governmental organizations whose activities are considered undesirable in the territory of the Russian Federation). During this period, he focused on studying the Poincare hypothesis.
How Perelman proved the Poincare conjecture
The Poincare hypothesis, formulated in 1904, has long remained one of the most difficult problems in topology, the branch of mathematics that studies deformable surfaces. It concerns the properties of three-dimensional objects (manifolds) and states that any simply connected compact space without an edge is homeomorphic to a three-dimensional sphere. In simple terms, it can be transformed into this object by stretching or flattening without tearing or gluing (for example, a cylinder and a "pancake" can be called homeomorphic, because one can be made into another by stretching or flattening an object).
Perelman became interested in this problem after reading the works of the American mathematician Richard Hamilton. Previously, the scientist had already achieved significant results, in particular, he proved the hypothesis about the "soul" of multidimensional spaces in 1994.
In 2002-2003, Perelman published a series of papers in which he outlined the proof of the Poincare hypothesis. He posted them publicly on the portal. arXiv.org abandoning the traditional publication in scientific journals. In his research, he developed the Ricci flow method proposed by Hamilton, bringing it to its logical conclusion. This approach allowed not only to prove the Poincare conjecture, but also to solve the more general hypothesis of Thurston geometrization.
Perelman's work has caused a wide response. In 2003, he gave lectures at leading universities in the United States, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University.
In 2004-2006, independent groups of mathematicians confirmed the correctness of his proof, after which the problem was considered solved.
What is the significance of Perelman's discovery for science
The proof of the Poincare hypothesis has become one of the most important events in mathematics of the 21st century. It had a significant impact on the development of geometry and topology. The methods developed by Perelman expanded the understanding of the structure of spaces and became the basis for further research. His approaches continue to be used by specialists and are being studied in the scientific community.
The solution of this problem also confirmed the effectiveness of the Ricci flow method as a tool for analyzing geometric structures. This has opened up new opportunities for research in related fields.
Why did a mathematician turn down a million-dollar bonus?
After the recognition of his scientific achievements, Perelman was awarded prestigious international awards. However, he refused to receive them, which was an unprecedented case in the history of science.
In 2006, the International Mathematical Union awarded the scientist the Fields Medal, one of the most prestigious awards in the field of mathematics, with the wording "for contributions to geometry and revolutionary achievements in understanding the analytical and geometric structure of the Ricci flow." Perelman refused to accept the award without explaining his decision.
In March 2010, the Clay Mathematical Institute announced the awarding of the $1 million Millennium Prize to Perelman for proving the Poincare hypothesis. The scientist also refused this award. This step caused a wide public outcry and discussion both in the scientific and in the general public environment. Later, in 2011, with the funds of the prize, the institute, together with the Henri Poincare Institute in Paris, established a position for young mathematicians.
According to media reports, Perelman explained his position by saying that he did not consider his contribution exceptional and did not seek public recognition. His refusal of awards became an important part of his biography and largely determined the attitude of society towards him.
How Perelman's life changed after world fame
After completing the proof of the Poincare hypothesis, Perelman gradually retired from scientific activity. In December 2005, he left the Mathematical Institute and stopped active contacts with the scientific community.
It is reported that he is not married and has no children. According to media reports, the scientist lives in St. Petersburg Kupchino with his mother and leads a closed lifestyle.
He does not accept job offers, does not participate in conferences, and does not publish new research. He also avoids communication with journalists and does not give interviews. This position has remained unchanged for many years and arouses interest in his personality.
Why is Grigory Perelman considered a man of mystery
A closed lifestyle and a refusal to go public have shaped the reputation of Perelman as a man of mystery. Despite worldwide recognition, he is practically not present in the information space.
The rare mentions of him in the media only increase interest. At the same time, the scientist himself does not attempt to change the situation and does not comment on his position.
Additional attention is drawn to his decisions related to the rejection of awards and a scientific career, which sets him apart from other representatives of the scientific community.
Interesting facts about Perelman's life and character
- In 2007, he was included by the British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph in the list of "100 living geniuses", where he took ninth place.
- In 2011, the scientist declined an offer to join the Russian Academy of Sciences, despite the nomination from the scientific community.
- After acknowledging the proof of Perelman's Poincare hypothesis, a group of Chinese scientists published their version of the calculations, which is more than 300 pages long. They argued that the Russian mathematician's work, presented in brief articles, contains many gaps. However, it later turned out that these detailed calculations did not add anything new to the proof — Perelman's calculations were initially complete.
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