12. Thirty-seven
4 months later.
It’s finally summer vacation.
Like any other child, I made a vacation plan.
I’ve never done anything so heart-fluttering in my past life… .
I feel a little embarrassed.
During this vacation, I plan to study quantum mechanics.
Riemann hypothesis and quantum mechanics.
The two seem to have nothing to do with each other, but an interesting connection is discovered in 1972.
It was the fact that the expression representing the gap between the non-obvious zeros of the Riemann zeta function and the expression representing the difference in the energy level of a giant atom in quantum mechanics coincided with each other.
And this is proven by actual research results in 1987.
This cannot be seen as a mere coincidence.
So some physicists expected that if the Riemann hypothesis was solved, the contradictions between quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity would be resolved, and even part of the string theory could be explained.
That is why it is not a joke to say that the Riemann hypothesis contains the secret of the creation of the universe.
Professor Park Soo-Soo’s lab.
When I said that I wanted to study Dirac’s equation in quantum mechanics, Professor Park slowly shook his head.
“Well… I don’t think it’s a very good idea? Mathematics is mathematics, and it is very different from physics.”
Professor Park Bo-soo’s words may sound a bit narrow-minded.
But now it’s 1993.
The field of physical mathematics has not yet been properly established, and for mathematicians… There was a strong belief that mathematics was a more fundamental science than physics.
In other words, physicists learn and use math, and mathematicians have nowhere to learn physics to use.
It’s a bit embarrassing to say this with my mouth, who majored in mathematics in the past… .
So, it’s kind of like math.
Moreover, Professor Park Soo-Soo is unaware of the sad and bittersweet happenings in the world of mathematics in the future, 2019.
There is a famous British mathematician named Michael Atilla.
Professor Atya announced that he had proved the Riemann hypothesis, but the mathematicians who confirmed his proof were silent.
Mathematicians did not say that Professor Atya’s proof was correct, but neither did they say that it was wrong.
The reason for not saying that the proof was wrong was a kind of courtesy towards the greatest mathematician of the 20th century, and many people assumed that Professor Atya must have lost his mind due to his old age to make such a absurd statement.
Although Professor Atya’s proof was absurd, one thing is certain: Professor Atya tried to prove the Riemann hypothesis using Dirac’s equation.
I wanted to know why he wanted to use Dirac’s equation to prove the Riemann hypothesis.
I opened my mouth to Professor Park Soo-soo’s objection.
“Not for the sake of the Riemann hypothesis, I just wanted to study quantum mechanics. I think it will be fun.”
“haha! If that’s the case, I’m in favor of it. But if it’s Dirac’s equation… I think it has something to do with anti-matter… Is there any reason why you want to study Dirac’s equation in a specific way?”
Dirac’s equation.
As Professor Park Bo-sun said, the theory that first made the assumption of the concept of antimatter is the Dirac equation.
To put it simply, it is a theory that vacuum space is not empty, but full of antimatter.
It is true that Dirac’s equation became famous thanks to antimatter, but in fact, Dirac’s equation is a theory that integrates Schrödinger’s equation and Einstein’s theory of relativity.
In other words, it is a kind of integrated theory that encompasses both quantum mechanical and relativistic properties of electron particles.
Quantum mechanics and relativity are not very important facts to me as a mathematician.
What interests me is that Dirac’s equation describes the motion of electrons.
As mentioned earlier, the expression for the interval between non-obvious zeros of the Riemann zeta function and the expression for the energy level of the giant atomic nucleus coincide with each other.
As everyone knows, electrons revolve around the nucleus, and the movement of the outermost electron among these electrons is naturally determined by the energy level of the nucleus.
In other words, the interval between non-obvious zeros of the Riemann zeta function is ultimately related to the movement of the outermost electrons of the giant atom.
Through this physical reasoning, at least vaguely… It is possible to predict the possibility that the Riemann hypothesis is connected to the Dirac equation that describes the motion of electrons.
Professor Park’s eyes widened at my explanation, and I was also surprised by Professor Park’s expression.
Until now, I knew that Professor Park Soo-soo’s eyes were small, but now I’m looking at Professor Park’s face… In the meantime, I wondered if the professor had just opened his eyes.
Professor Park nodded with a serious expression.
“Every time I meet you like this, all I can say is that you are amazing, it’s amazing! That’s great. haha!”
I smiled slightly, and Professor Park continued.
“Hmm… Since I’m listening to you like this, I want to study quantum mechanics right now. haha!”
Professor Park Soo-Soo continued with a happy expression.
“I really think I have a lot to learn from Jung-ho. In fact, mathematicians like us are not very flexible in their thinking.”
A common misconception many people have about mathematics is that it will be the science of numbers.
read at noblemtl.com
Number is one of the research subjects dealt with in mathematics, and the reason for dealing with numbers in mathematics is that the number system is logically flawless.
For example, adding 17 to 11 gives 28, but the same operation can never yield a number other than 28.
Thanks to this logical precision, it is possible to build a world based on a few axioms.
And the science that explores the characteristics of this constructed world is mathematics.
The best example is linear algebra.
read at noblemtl.com
Numerous formulas and theories that many engineering students use to calculate vector fields and determinants are actually made with only 10 axioms.
The reason why this is possible is because of Suu’s logical precision.
In this way, mathematics does not allow deviations from logic.
There are no exceptions.
So many mathematicians believe themselves to be inflexible.
I do not agree with this, but I nodded my head at Professor Park’s words.
“Every time I meet you, I am reminded of how narrow-minded my thoughts are. haha–.”
I felt ashamed of Professor Park Soo-soo’s continuous praise.
In fact, the Dirac equation is the method that Professor Atya mentioned, not my original idea.
“no. I’m just a glimpse of someone else.”
“Okay, then how can I help you? There are several professors in the Department of Physics who are familiar with them. Would you like to introduce yourself to them?”
I shook my head.
“no. I don’t mean to take it that seriously. I want to borrow some books from the library.”
“Five… ! so?”
“Yeah, but I decided to stop by the library today with my major sister.”
Then the door to the lab opened with a knock.
Prof. Park, who confirmed the main character who entered the laboratory, smiled and said.
“haha! Even a tiger said that he would come if I said something, Major, it is difficult for you to become a nobleman. haha!”
My sister asked me with a puzzled expression.
“what? Did you talk to me a while ago?”
“Aren’t you going to tell me?”
“Ja-shik, don’t talk nonsense!”
At my sister’s words, I stuck out my tongue.
Korea University Science Library.
I placed 7 books in front of the loan window.
“Is this all?”
I nodded my head at the major sister’s question.
After a while, the older sister who finished the loan asked, putting the book in her bag.
“Jeong-ho, why did you borrow the English conversation book?”
“It’s for my mother to study English.”
“really? So are you teaching your mother yourself?”
As I nodded, my sister gave me a thumbs up.
“Five–! Jung-ho is a filial piety! awesome.”
Looking back on some things in my past life, it seems that my intelligence was inherited from my mother.
My mother does not keep a household book.
The reason why the mother does not keep the household book is simple.
This is because the amount of each expenditure and the total amount spent during the month are calculated directly in your head.
read at noblemtl.com
Not only this.
It is said that my parents’ generation, who were born right after the Korean War, had few opportunities to receive an education.
So my mother never graduated from elementary school, and she doesn’t even know the alphabet, let alone basic English grammar.
Last life It was about six months after emigrating to the United States with my mother and settling there.
I was surprised to see my mother having a brief conversation with a waiter at the grocery store.
I later found out that my mother had learned simple conversation skills by herself while watching TV.
At that time, I taught my mother simple English grammar, and since then, her English skills have exploded, and after another six months, she has no problem communicating in English.
That is why her mother’s ability to learn languages was amazing.
If I remember correctly, English will become more and more important in line with internationalization.
I thought that if my mother could become fluent in English, there would be many good opportunities for her in the future.
On the way home with the major’s sister.
I asked my sister.
“Sister, when are you graduating?”
“Well. To graduate, I have to write a thesis quickly… .”
The older sister’s expression darkened as she answered.
This is probably because her sister, who is starting her 3rd year of her doctoral program, has not had a single thesis yet.
My older sister wants to become a professor after completing her Ph.D.
Of course, my sister never told me that she wanted to be a professor.
But you can tell by looking into her eyes.
It’s a little difficult to explain in words, but… There is a unique look that people who are crazy about research have, and that was my sister’s look.
The eyes of my older sister that light up every time we talk about math.
The most important thing for the appointment of a professor is the thesis performance.
So this vacation is a really important time for my sister.
If there is no thesis by the end of the third year of the doctoral program, it is a reasonable choice to complete the degree in the fourth year and find a job.
The older sister continued speaking with a long sigh.
“This summer, I have to work really hard and write at least one thesis… I don’t know if I’ll be fine uh–!”
“It will be fine. If you have the ability of your older sister, this vacation, um… I could publish a paper in Publications Mathematics.”
Publications Mathematics is arguably the best journal in mathematics.
My sister’s expression brightened at my flattering remarks, and I continued what I was saying.
“If only my sister cut down on drinking a little.”
As soon as I finished my words, my sister’s fist pierced the back of my head.
“Aww!”
“Are you always naughty today?”
While checking the latest issue of Publications Mathematics at the library of Korea University today, I stumbled across David McLean’s paper published there.
There is a saying that when seemingly unrelated things happen at the same time, it is inevitable, not coincidental.
A major older sister who desperately needs a thesis.
Publication of the third paper by David McLean.
And I saw… It is the end of this year that David will be admitted to Texas State University.
This summer, the major has one more reason to write a thesis.
This is enough… Can’t we just say that it’s not a coincidence but a necessity?