Although he didn't look at them like idiots, he still expressed in a firm tone that he neither saw anything interesting nor thought mathematics was used for such boring things.
However, he did not agree to the two of them immediately.
No one knows how many more centuries it will remain standing...
Schultz also nodded, looking at Albert who stood up from the sofa with confusion, "With all due respect, this sounds more like a concept that only appears in Hollywood blockbusters."
As for when this day falls, perhaps only he himself knows.
Whether he was still there or not at that time was still a question.
Krugman tried to alert his friend, but to no avail.
Although he has no interest in economics and has no interest in social science research, he is surprisingly not very repulsed by this kind of subject that seems to be built in an attic
And as Professor Krugman said, predicting the future itself is a topic full of romanticism.
"No! I am explaining my theory from a scientific point of view... Okay, I admit that Asimov has a little inspiration for my theory, but what I want to discuss here is not the point of view in a science fiction novel. It’s a serious academic question!”
Krugman: "...what's the problem?"
As for Lu Zhou...
Lu Zhou: "Actually, I have a question that has always puzzled me."
Krugman nodded, and Albert, who was sitting next to him, made a helpless expression, shrugged and said, "I hope I really have this opportunity, and I hope I can wait until that day."
"Okay, let's assume that human collective behavior can indeed be predicted, but... so what?" Schultz frowned and said, "Any of your actions, even the observation itself, will affect the experimental results. It has unpredictable consequences. Not only is it pointless, it’s also very difficult to do.”
"Of course it does matter!" Albert replied in an excited tone, "Predicting the future through mathematical methods is what we are doing!"
However, although Lu Zhou's thoughts were similar to theirs and he also felt that this idea was a bit ridiculous, at this time he suddenly recalled that Professor Krugman seemed to have discussed this issue with him the last time he was in Shanghai.
Lu Zhou: "Why?"
The expression on Krugman's face was also filled with regret. He glanced at Perelman, then at Lu Zhou, and sighed.
The final result was also predictable, Perelman rejected them on the spot.
Ignoring Albert's call, Professor Krugman continued.
Whether it is Perelman or Schultz, their thoughts are almost written on their faces.
His hopes were obviously in vain.
"I need a little time to think about it. At least until I solve the Riemann Hypothesis, I don't plan to study other problems."
By establishing mathematical models, we can model large-scale human social behavior and production and life to achieve the purpose of predicting the future.
Other mathematical conjectures are difficult to solve, but at least we can see a way to solve the problem.
After thinking for a while, Lu Zhou continued: "If the future can really be predicted, is this really a good thing for us?"
Even though he studies physics, he has heard about the difficulties of the Riemann Hypothesis.
"As for whether to use this technology, or even to characterize this technology, our civilization will naturally make a choice."
After the words fell, Professor Krugman applauded.
"If there is a chance in the future, we will have a good talk about this issue."
Firstly, only scholars of Perelman's level can possibly complete their huge plan. And the most important thing is that in terms of academic reputation, Perelman is also the kind of person who is easier to talk to. type.
Unlike Schultz and Perelman, he favors actively radiating the influence of mathematics to other disciplines and using mathematics to change other sciences.
Schultz coughed slightly, breaking the silence in the room, and continued to speak his mind.
Krugman was silent for a while and said: "It is difficult for me to answer you this way. This is a non-academic question. Just like Mr. Albert, I believe that when he wrote the book "Link", he did not Thinking that my theory will be used by Silicon Valley Internet giants and advertisers to squeeze consumers' wallets... "
"Anyway, I still hope you can seriously consider it."
Krugman reached out to give Albert a hand with a headache on his face, but the latter did not listen to his reminder. Instead, he shook his hand away and continued to stare at Perelman with bright eyes. Hope to get his approval.
"Don't you think that sounds exciting?"
"So I think what we are discussing is just an academic issue, and what we are studying is only the possibility of theoretically predicting the future, not what to do with it."
It's like looking at a fool...
"We have many tools that can track human activities, such as the Internet, such as our mobile devices... counting all the data we can predict, as long as we can analyze it, we will be able to do more than just push them to fixed points. For something as boring as advertising, we can even predict the future ten minutes, ten days, or even longer!”
"...One day he came to me out of the blue and said that he planned to turn the theory in the book "Outbreak" into reality. My first reaction was that this guy definitely didn't intend to do anything good, but I finally accepted his idea. invite."
Touching the beard that covered his chin, Perelman frowned and said, "Does this have anything to do with mathematics?"
This time not only Perelman, but also Schultz had a strange expression on his face.
Upon hearing this, Albert suddenly became unhappy and shouted.
However, it seemed that he was the only one applauding...
"I think you are thinking too much."
"After solving the Riemann Hypothesis... God, I have never heard of a more tactful rejection than this!"
"Hey, don't say that, okay? The use of big data is not just in advertising! We have enjoyed the benefits of this technology in various issues such as counter-terrorism, medical care, urban planning, etc. Why do you always stick to this? Don’t want to let go?”
The apartment fell silent again.
Interrupting Schulz's words forcefully, Albert continued in a firm and excited tone, "There is actually no fundamental difference between human beings and dust suspended in water. We are in constant motion most of the time. The only difference is that we The disturbances received are not tiny invisible atomic collisions and positional interferences, but are driven by the tremors of invisible neurons that are transformed into a series of tasks, responsibilities and motivations!”
"Because whether it is theoretical research or applied science research, it should not be scholars who should characterize whether a technology is evil. Is nuclear fission technology evil? Thinking from this point in time in 1945, maybe Most people would think so, but looking back today, perhaps it is precisely because of the possession of such super weapons that our world can still maintain peace in the extreme situation of the collapse of a superpower. It was half a century ago. It’s all unimaginable.”
After hearing these words and looking at Professor Krugman's sincere gaze, Lu Zhou nodded slightly after being silent for a while.
In his opinion, this sentence is probably the same as Schulz's rhetoric, and it can even be said to be a rejection without euphemism...
However, as he encountered rebuttals one after another, Albert became more and more agitated, and his persuasion began to turn into a quarrel.
"That sounds interesting," although he didn't applaud, Lu Zhou still said with interest, "What you said reminds me of Asimov's 'psychohistory'... You copied this theory from "Foundation" Are you here?"
To be honest, he is still a little interested in this kind of novel problem.
As for Schulz, who is committed to achieving higher achievements in mathematics, of course he will not be interested in such a sideways topic, so he just politely expressed that he might consider researching it when he has time one day.
"Anything is fine! God, are we studying the wave-particle duality of light to direct photons to do something? Don't you think predicting the future is an exciting subject in itself? Even if we just prove this thing It’s feasible, and our name is enough to be recorded in history!”
"… Fortune-telling?"
However…
However, after hearing these words, Albert's shoulders dropped, and the expression on his face turned into deep disappointment.
Obviously, Professors Albert and Krugman chose to come to St. Petersburg in order to persuade Perelman to join their plan.
"Predicting the future is no longer the domain of mathematics. I don't think it's even physics. I think this is already the domain of philosophers. After all, you see, there are so many uncertain factors that will affect our thoughts, and we ourselves Many times it’s uncertain. For example, if it rained today, maybe I wouldn’t be here—”
"But the weather can be predicted! A person's itinerary is unpredictable, but a group of people's itinerary can be expected. New York City's traffic data and weather forecasts in the past five years can support my point of view!"
But the Riemann Hypothesis is like a lonely mountain, standing there alone.
Even the reason why he originally solved the Poincaré Conjecture was because when he was talking to Hamilton on his visit to the United States, he heard the latter talking about a type of singularity called "cigars" and complained that this problem troubled him a lot. Started in...
"I understand what you mean."