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Mysterious Mastermind 揭开庞氏推测之谜

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In 1904, mathematician Henri Poincare made an astonishing claim. The Poincare conjecture asserts that any three-dimensional (3-D) object without holes can be manipulated to become the equivalent of a sphere. According to this conjecture, a sphere, a cigar and a rabbit’s head are all the same because they can be deformed into one another.

公元1904年，数学家亨利庞卡赫提出了一个震惊全球的理论：庞氏推测。他断言任何一个没有洞的三维空间物体，可以经由转换而成为一个球体。根据这个推测，一颗球、一支雪茄、和一只兔子的头是相同的东西，因为它们可以互相变形转换。

By definition, a conjecture is a conclusion that still needs to be proved. Mathematicians have spent more than one hundred years trying to prove Poincare correct. A recent and apparently successful proof of the conjecture has been traced back to a Russian mathematician named Grigory Perelman. An eccentric loner, Perelman published his own proof on the Internet in 2002.

根据定义，「推测」是一种未经证明的结论。一百多年来，许多数学家试着想证明庞氏推测是正确的。最近一个显然成功破解这个难题的证明，经查证是由一位俄国数学家葛瑞哥里裴瑞曼所提出。裴瑞曼本人有点孤僻古怪，他在2002年时将自己的证明刊登在网络上。

Mathematicians around the globe concluded that Perelman had solved the Poincare mystery. He applied groundbreaking connections between varying disciplines that were once thought incomprehensible to even the most brilliant mathematical minds! In honor of his achievement, Perelman was awarded the highest honor in the world of mathematics, the Fields Medal, plus a prize of one million dollars.

全世界的数学家经检验已证实，裴瑞曼的确解决了庞氏推测。他应用了全新的结构将不同的理论连结起来，而这些理论一度连最聪明的数学家也无法完全理解。为了表彰他的成就，裴瑞曼获颁代表数学界最高荣誉的费尔兹奖，及一百万美元的奖金。

To everyone’s surprise, however, Perelman vanished into anonymity, and is living in St. Petersburg, Russian, leaving his one million dollars unclaimed. He stated that once the academic community accepts his proof as a theorem, he desires no further recognition. In a recent rare interview, he claimed that he no longer considers himself a professional mathematician. Instead, he spends his time pursuing other hobbies, such as taking long walks around St. Petersburg, or attending opera performances. Fitting words for a man whose behavior is nearly as baffling as the conjecture he solved.

但出乎众人意料之外的是，裴瑞曼就此隐姓埋名地住在俄国的圣彼得堡，且未领取那一百万奖金。他说一旦学术界接受了他的证明为一个新的理论，他就不需要有其他的表彰。在最近一次少有的访谈中，裴瑞曼宣称不再认为自己是一位专职的数学家。相反的，他把时间花在其他兴趣上，像是在圣彼得堡城中漫步，或者是欣赏歌剧演出，称他神秘大师一点也不为过，因为他的行为就像他所解开的推测一样令人疑惑难解。

−by Matthew Wilson

Vocabulary

单词发音

astonishing [əˋstɑnɪʃɪŋ] adj. 令人惊讶的；惊人的

assert [əˋsɝt] v. 声称

manipulate [məˋnɪpjə͵let] v. 操纵﹐控制

equivalent [ɪˋkwɪvələnt] n. 相等物

eccentric [ɪkˋsɛntrɪk] adj. 怪异的﹐古怪的

discipline [ˋdɪsəplɪn] n. 学科; 领域

incomprehensible [ɪn͵kɑmprɪˋhɛnsəb!] adj. 不能理解的，难懂的

in honor of 向...表敬意

academic [͵ækəˋdɛmɪk] adj. 学术的

recognition [͵rɛkəgˋnɪʃən] n. 表彰

pursue [pɚˋsu] v. 追求

baffling [ˋbæflɪŋ] adj. 令人困惑的

More Information

单词发音

mastermind [ˋmæstɚmaɪnd] n. 才华横溢的人

mathematician [͵mæθəməˋtɪʃən] n. 数学家

conjecture [kənˋdʒɛktʃɚ] n. 推测，猜测

deform [dɪˋfɔrm] v. 变形

trace back 追溯, 找出根源

loner [ˋlonɚ] n. 喜欢独处的人; 孤独的人

groundbreaking [ˋgraʊnd͵brekɪŋ] adj. 开创性的

vanish [ˋvænɪʃ] v. 突然不见；消失

anonymity [͵ænəˋnɪmətɪ] n. 匿名者，无名者

unclaimed [ʌnˋklemd] adj. 无人领取的

theorem [ˋθiərəm] n.【术语】〔尤指数学中依据推理可以证明的〕定理

hobby [ˋhɑbɪ] n. 业余爱好，癖好，嗜好

fitting [ˋfɪtɪŋ] adj. 适当的，合适的；相称的