Russian mathematician Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman, who proved the Poincaré conjecture: biography, personal life, interesting facts. Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman biography

"Biography"

Grigory Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad into a Jewish family. His father Yakov was an electrical engineer (contrary to popular belief, Yakov Isidorovich Perelman, a famous popularizer of physics, mathematics and astronomy, is not the father of Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman), emigrated to Israel in 1993. Mother, Lyubov Leibovna, remained in St. Petersburg and worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school. It was his mother, who played the violin, who instilled in the future mathematician a love of classical music. Grigory Perelman has a younger sister, Elena (born 1976), also a mathematician, a graduate of St. Petersburg University (1998), who defended her PhD thesis at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot in 2003; Since 2007 he has been working as a programmer in Stockholm.

Education

Until the 9th grade, Perelman studied at high school on the outskirts of Leningrad, and then transferred to the 239th physics and mathematics school. He played table tennis well and attended music school. Gold medal I didn’t get it only because of physical education, without passing the GTO standards. From the 5th grade, Grigory studied at the mathematics center at the Palace of Pioneers under the guidance of RGPU associate professor Sergei Rukshin, whose students won many awards at mathematical Olympiads. In 1982, as part of the team Soviet schoolchildren won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, receiving full marks for flawlessly solving all problems.
Was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad University without exams state university. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only with “excellent” marks. For academic success he received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school ( scientific adviser- A. D. Aleksandrov) at the Leningrad Department of the Mathematical Institute named after. V. A. Steklova (LOMI - until 1992; then - POMI). Having defended his Ph.D. thesis on “Saddle surfaces in Euclidean spaces” in 1990, he remained to work at the institute as a senior researcher.

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"News"

Will blockchain help solve the problem of authorship in science (part 2)

As part of the special project " Intellectual property and blockchain”, the Forklog editors have prepared material dedicated to the iconic historical examples scientific collaborations that changed the world.

Using their example, you will be able to identify for yourself the fundamental problems that academic science still faces today.

The lyceum where mathematician Perelman studied became the best school in Russia

St. Petersburg Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239 topped the list of the best schools in Russia.

As the Rosbalt correspondent was informed by the press service of the Education Committee, the lyceum took first place in the top 500 and 25 best schools in the country for the third time in a row.

“Perelman really studied with us”

“We are not chasing know-how. It's all nonsense. Innovation must be justified, not for its own sake. Let’s say that the use of computer technology does not always contribute to the growth of knowledge,” Maxim Pratusevich, director of the Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239, named the best school in the country, told the VZGLYAD newspaper. It was this school that the famous mathematician Grigory Perelman graduated from.

On Thursday, Russia celebrates Teacher's Day. In this regard, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets and the head of the Ministry of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva presented the rating on Wednesday “ Best schools Russia" for 2016–2017. It included 500 educational institutions from almost all regions of the country, but almost a third of the list - 136 schools - is in Moscow.

Mathematician G. Perelman may become the star of a Hollywood film
The biography of the outstanding Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman, who proved the Poincaré conjecture, may become a plot for documentary film, which is set to be directed by Titanic creator James Cameron. Israeli journalist Alexander Zabrovsky told Komsomolskaya Pravda about this.
Read in full: http://top.rbc.ru/society/02/08/2012/662880.shtml

The ECB left the policy rate at a historical low of 0.75%.

08/02/2012, Brussels 15:45:15 The European Central Bank (ECB) left the discount rate at the historical minimum of 0.75%, the bank said in a statement released today. This decision coincided with analysts' forecasts.
link: http://www.rbc.ru/rbcfreenews/20120802154515. shtml

Interview with mathematician Grigory Perelman: Why do I need a million dollars? I can control the universe

It’s been a year since Grigory Perelman, who proved Poincaré’s theorem, which scientists from all over the world had been struggling with for decades, refused the million-dollar prize awarded to him!

It’s hard to say what struck us, ordinary people, more: the fact that our scientist outdid everyone else, or the fact that he refused astronomical money! I immediately wanted to ask: “What kind of rich man is doing this weird thing here?!” As it turned out, Grigory Yakovlevich lives in St. Petersburg, in a Khrushchev building, with his mother, practically vegetating in poverty... But he is not interested in what ordinary men are interested in - money, wine, women... Perelman was never married. Having become a “millionaire from the khrushchev”, he closed himself off from the whole world. He lives as a hermit, occasionally going out to the store with a string bag. Communicates only with a few close associates. Doesn't cut his hair, doesn't shave, doesn't cut his nails
link: http://www.kp.ru/daily/25677. 3/836229/

Millionaire from the khrushchev Grigory Perelman - Report Russian scientist Grigory Perelman, who became the first ever winner of the Millennium Prize, will receive a million US dollars. Its founder, the American Clay Institute, announced that the Russian managed to realize the age-old dream of mathematicians around the world - to prove the Poincaré conjecture. In its original formulation it reads as follows: “Every simply connected compact three-dimensional manifold without boundary is geomorphic to a three-dimensional sphere.” Translated into common parlance, this means that any three-dimensional object, such as a glass, can be transformed into a ball by deformation alone, meaning it does not need to be cut or glued together. In other words, Poincare suggested that space is not three-dimensional, but contains a significantly larger number of dimensions, and Perelman mathematically proved this 100 years later. link: http://www.5-tv.ru/news/27451/

Grigory Perelman proved that there is no God Until recently, mathematics did not promise either fame or wealth to its “priests”. They weren't even given the Nobel Prize. There is no such nomination. After all, according to very popular legend, Nobel's wife once cheated on him with a mathematician. And in retaliation, the rich man deprived all their crooked brethren of his respect and prize money. link: http://kem.kp.ru/daily/24466. 4/626061/

Absolutely normal person The “first in life” interview with Grigory Perelman, although it contains a number of inaccuracies, gives a much better idea of ​​the personality of this outstanding mathematician than the vast majority of previous publications about him in Russian media. Read in full: http://www.gazeta.ru/science/ 2011/05/04_a_3603217.shtml

Grigory Perelman. How not to become a millionaire In 2002-2003, Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman published on the Internet a proof of the Poincaré conjecture that had not been given to any of his colleagues for almost a hundred years. Perelman was awaited by fame, numerous awards and a $1 million prize awarded for solving this problem by the charitable Clay Institute. Perelman, however, refused both honors and money, and a few years later he left mathematics altogether. Deputy editor-in-chief of the Snob project Masha Gessen wrote a book dedicated to the mathematician. The book was originally published on English language in the USA, now a translation of the book “Impeccable Rigor. Grigory Perelman: genius and the task of the millennium” is published in Russian by CORPUS publishing house (translated by Ilya Krieger). Forbes publishes excerpts from the book, including the chapter “How Not to Become a Millionaire.” link: http://www.forbes.ru/ekonomika/lyudi/65531-grigorii-perelman-kak-ne-stat-millionerom

Grigory Perelman: I am not Britney Spears! Five years ago, Grigory PERELMAN was awarded the highest award in the mathematical world - the Fields Gold Medal. Thus, his colleagues recognized the correctness of his proof of the Poincaré conjecture. And the Clay Institute of Mathematics awarded Perelman a $1 million prize. However, he refused the money. On June 13, Perelman turns 45 years old. Until now, the famous mathematician had avoided journalists, but on the eve of the anniversary he made an exception for Express Gazeta. link: http://eg.ru/daily/melochi/26010/

Grigory Perelman as an ideal scientist for power When, at the General Meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences in May of this year, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that for him the ideal of a Russian scientist was Grigory Perelman, it was unlikely that he realized that Grigory Perelman, quite possibly, appeared to him as the ideal of a Russian security official. Every person wants to be good, and every person is outraged by the injustices that are happening in the world. And everyone just wants to “throw an iron verse drenched in bitterness and anger in their faces” and, like Perelman, not accept their million or, like Vladimir Putin, declare that there is no one to talk to, except perhaps Mahatma Gandhi. link: http://www.ng.ru/science/2010-10-13/11_perelman.html

Grigory Perelman's acquaintances spoke about his childhood The news of the $1 million “Millennium Prize” being awarded to the reclusive St. Petersburg mathematician excited the entire country. Firstly, there is a burst of legitimate pride in a fellow countryman who has solved one of the the most complex tasks on the planet. Secondly, his refusal to accept this money is somewhat surprising. Why? It would be good to ask this question to the scientist himself. But he is tightly closed to everyone except those he knows and respects. It was them that AiF asked about the mysterious reclusive genius link: http://www.aif.ru/society/article/33851

Grigory Perelman thought about offspring The reclusive St. Petersburg scientist Grigory Perelman said that for the first time he thought about continuing his family line. Frank confession he made it to the mathematics teacher who taught the future Fields Medal winner the exact sciences from the fifth grade, Valentina Berdova. link: http://www.lifenews.ru/news/ 23048

Grigory Perelman celebrated his birthday for 15 rubles St. Petersburg mathematician Grigory Perelman, who proved one of the seven main mathematical problems of the millennium - the Poincaré conjecture - and refused the $1 million owed for it, celebrated his 44th birthday extremely modestly. The outstanding scientist did not invite guests to his apartment in Kupchin, because last years leads a reclusive lifestyle, and the meal was not at all festive. Over the past two weeks, Perelman has only left his apartment twice. The first time he walked with his mother, they live together. On the second, June 13, his birthday, the mathematician went down to the nearest store and bought half a loaf rye bread. The holiday purchase cost the scientist 15 rubles. link: http://www.utro.ru/articles/ 2010/06/15/900967.shtml

Grigory Perelman, who proved Poincaré's theorem, refuses awards Grigory Perelman, who proved the Poincaré conjecture, refuses numerous awards and cash prizes awarded to him for this achievement, the Guardian newspaper reports. After extensive review of the evidence, which lasted almost four years, the scientific community concluded that Perelman's solution was correct. link: http://lenta.ru/news/2006/08/16/perelman/

Grigory Perelman refused to be an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences St. Petersburg mathematician Grigory Perelman did not respond to requests from the Steklov Mathematical Institute, which nominated him as an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, LentaRu reports, citing Interfax and a representative of the St. Petersburg branch of the institute. According to him, the institute never received a response from the scientist to calls and telegrams. Thus, Perelman will not become an academician, since this requires his consent. The preparation of lists of candidates for academicianship of the Russian Academy of Sciences should be completed on October 4. Voting on them will take place in December. It was previously reported that Perelman will most likely refuse to join the ranks of academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The scientific council of the St. Petersburg branch of the Steklov Mathematical Institute proposed Perelman's candidacy in early September, but it was never possible to contact the mathematician. link: http://www.amic.ru/news/ 162006/

I'm proud of people like Grigory Perelman The famous mathematician Grigory Perelman turned out to be elusive not only for foreign luminaries of science, but also for domestic ones: the scientist did not accept the offer to become a member Russian Academy Sci. Utro.ru reports this. G. Perelman simply ignored all requests sent by the Steklov Mathematical Institute, which nominated him as an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, without answering either telegrams or phone calls. link: http://security-zone.ru/?p= 2920 Grigory Perelman ignored his nomination to academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Representative of the St. Petersburg branch of the Mathematical Institute named after. Vladimir Steklov, who proposed to nominate Perelman as an academician, said that the scientist did not answer a single telegram or telephone call and did not try to contact the institute himself. Thus, he will not be nominated by this institution. link: http://www.dp.ru/a/2011/10/03/ Grigorij_Perelman_ne_zhel/ The smartest person in the world refused a million dollar reward for solving a complex mathematical problem A Russian who was awarded a one million dollar prize for solving one of the most difficult mathematical problems, announced yesterday that he does not want to take this money. 44-year-old Dr. Grigory Perelman, who is considered by many the smartest person in the world, lives in St. Petersburg in empty apartment, infested with cockroaches. Through the closed door he said, “I have everything I need.” More details: http://news.mail.ru/society/3549898/ Probably cool Grisha Perelman, a Jewish mathematical luminary, was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad into a poor Jewish family. Grisha’s father, Yakov, an electrician by profession, left his family in 1993 and went to Israel, and his mother, Lyubov Leibovna, a mathematics teacher at a vocational school and a violinist, remained on the farm and instilled in Grisha a passion for mathematics and classical music. Even from the cradle, Grisha began to attend a synagogue, and, most importantly, a mathematics school, where he was noticeably different from his peers and even from teachers in his unprecedented mathematical mind. link: http://lohi.ru/post/414 Grigory Perelman never contacted the Russian Academy of Sciences Earlier, the St. Petersburg branch of the Steklov Mathematical Institute offered a mathematician to become an academician. The lists of candidates were to be prepared by October 4. Now, the Academy of Sciences emphasizes, Perelman will not be nominated. He did not answer either telegrams or phone calls. link:

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman. Born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Russian mathematician who proved the Poincaré conjecture.

By nationality - Jewish.

Father - Yakov Perelman, an electrical engineer, emigrated to Israel in 1993.

Mother - Lyubov Leibovna Shteingolts, worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school, after her husband left for Israel, she remained in St. Petersburg.

Younger sister- Elena (born 1976), mathematician, graduate of St. Petersburg University (1998), defended her PhD thesis at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot in 2003, and has been working as a programmer in Stockholm since 2007.

Some sources mistakenly attribute Perelman to being related to Yakov Isidorovich Perelman, a famous physicist, mathematician and astronomer. But they are just namesakes.

Gregory's mother played the violin and early years instilled in him a love of classical music, he graduated from music school. He played table tennis well.

From the 5th grade, Grigory studied at the mathematics center at the Palace of Pioneers under the guidance of RGPU associate professor Sergei Rukshin, whose students won many awards at mathematical Olympiads. In 1982, as part of a team of Soviet schoolchildren, he won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, receiving full marks for flawlessly solving all problems.

Until the 9th grade, Perelman studied at a high school on the outskirts of Leningrad, then transferred to the 239th physics and mathematics school. I did not receive a gold medal due to a low grade in physical education.

After graduating from school without exams, he was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad State University. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only with “excellent” marks. For academic success he received a Lenin scholarship.

After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school (scientific supervisor - A.D. Aleksandrov) at the Leningrad branch of the Mathematical Institute. V. A. Steklova (LOMI - until 1992; then - POMI).

Having defended his Ph.D. thesis on “Saddle surfaces in Euclidean spaces” in 1990, he remained to work at the institute as a senior researcher.

In 1991, he was awarded the “Young Mathematician” Prize of the St. Petersburg Mathematical Society for his work “Aleksandrov spaces with curvature bounded from below.”

In the early 1990s, Perelman came to the United States, where he worked as a researcher at various universities. He surprised his colleagues with his ascetic lifestyle; his favorite foods were milk, bread and cheese.

In 1994 proved the soul hypothesis(differential geometry). He proved several key statements in the Alexandrov geometry of spaces of curvature bounded below.

In 1996, he returned to St. Petersburg, continuing to work at POMI, where he worked alone on proving the Poincaré conjecture.

In 1996, the European Mathematical Society Prize for Young Mathematicians was awarded, but he refused to receive it.

Entropy formula for Ricci flow and its geometric applications;
- Ricci flow with surgery on three-dimensional manifolds;
- Finite decay time for solutions of Ricci flow on some three-dimensional manifolds.

The appearance on the Internet of Perelman's first article on the entropy formula for the Ricci flow caused an immediate international sensation in scientific circles. In 2003, Grigory Perelman accepted an invitation to visit a number of American universities, where he gave a series of reports on his work to prove the Poincaré conjecture.

In America, Perelman spent a lot of time explaining his ideas and methods, both in public lectures organized for him and during personal meetings with a number of mathematicians. After his return to Russia, he answered numerous questions from his foreign colleagues by email.

In 2004-2006, three independent groups of mathematicians were involved in checking Perelman’s results:

1. Bruce Kleiner, John Lott, University of Michigan;
2. Zhu Xiping, Sun Yat-sen University, Cao Huaidong, Lehigh University;
3. John Morgan Columbia University, Gan Tian, ​​MIT.

All three groups concluded that the Poincaré conjecture was completely proven, but Chinese mathematicians Zhu Xiping and Cao Huaidong, along with their teacher Yau Shintong, attempted plagiarism by claiming that they had found a "complete proof". They later retracted this statement.

In December 2005, Grigory Perelman resigned from his post as a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, resigned from POMI and almost completely broke off contacts with colleagues.

In 2006, Grigory Perelman was awarded the international prize"Fields Medal" - "For contributions to geometry and his revolutionary ideas into the study of the geometric and analytical structure of the Ricci flow." However, he refused it.

In 2007, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published a list of “One Hundred Living Geniuses”, in which Grigory Perelman ranks 9th. In addition to Perelman, only 2 Russians were included in this list - Garry Kasparov (25th place) and Mikhail Kalashnikov (83rd place).

In March 2010, the Clay Mathematics Institute awarded Grigory Perelman a US$1 million prize for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture, marking the first time in history that the prize had been awarded for solving one of the Millennium Problems.

In June 2010, Perelman ignored a mathematical conference in Paris, at which the Millennium Prize was supposed to be awarded for proving the Poincaré conjecture, and on July 1, 2010, he publicly announced his refusal of the prize. He motivated as follows: “I refused. You know, I had a lot of reasons in both directions. That's why it took me so long to decide. To put it very briefly, then main reason is a disagreement with the organized mathematical community. I don't like their decisions, I think they are unfair. I believe that the contribution of the American mathematician Hamilton to solving this problem is no less than mine.”

“Simply, the essence of Poincaré’s theory can be stated as follows: if a three-dimensional surface is somewhat similar to a sphere, then it can be straightened into a sphere. Poincaré's statement is called the “Formula of the Universe” because of its importance in the study of complex physical processes in the theory of the universe and because it provides an answer to the question of the shape of the Universe. That’s why they struggled with its proof for so many years. I know how to control the Universe. And tell me, why should I run for a million?”, he said in an interview.

Such a public assessment of the merits of Richard Hamilton by the mathematician who proved the Poincaré conjecture can be an example of nobility in science, since, according to Perelman himself, Hamilton, who collaborated with Yau Shintun, noticeably slowed down in his research, encountering insurmountable technical difficulties.

In September 2011, the Clay Institute, together with the Henri Poincaré Institute (Paris), created a position for young mathematicians, the money for which will come from the Millennium Prize awarded but not accepted by Grigory Perelman.

In 2011, Richard Hamilton and Demetrios Christodoulou were awarded the so-called. The $1,000,000 Shao Prize in Mathematics, also sometimes called Nobel Prize East. Richard Hamilton was awarded for creating mathematical theory, which was then developed by Grigory Perelman in his works on proving the Poincaré conjecture. Hamilton accepted the award.

In 2011, Masha Gessen’s book about the fate of Perelman, “Perfect Severity. Grigory Perelman: genius and the task of the millennium,” based on numerous interviews with his teachers, classmates, co-workers and colleagues.

In September 2011, it became known that the mathematician refused to accept the offer to become a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Personal life of Grigory Perelman:

Not married. Have no children.

Leads a secluded life, ignores the press. Lives in St. Petersburg in Kupchin with his mother.

There were reports in the press that since 2014 Gregory has been living in Sweden, but later it turned out that he only visits there sporadically.

The hero of the new issue of the “Icon of the Era” column is Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman. What is known about him is that he gave up a million dollars by proving the Poincaré Conjecture, which, in turn, is known to be extremely difficult to understand. Moreover, the sequence here is exactly this - the fact of refusing money excited the respectable public much more than “some kind of abstract mathematical calculation.” Now that the hype around this decision has subsided, let’s figure out who Grigory Perelman is for mathematics and what mathematics is for him.

Grigory Perelman

Born in 1966 in Leningrad

mathematician

Life path

Soviet Union had an outstanding mathematical tradition, so it is impossible to talk about Perelman’s childhood without mentioning the phenomenon of Soviet mathematical schools. In them, talented children were trained under the guidance of the best mentors; such an environment served as fertile ground for future outstanding achievements. However, despite the competent organization of the learning process, there was also an inherent Soviet system discrimination when even the presence unusual surname could cost a place in the city’s national team or admission to a university.

Henri Poincaré

Perelman grew up in an intelligent family and showed interest in mathematics from childhood. However, once he got into the mathematical circle, he did not immediately become a leader. The first failures spurred him to work harder and influenced his character - unyielding and stubborn. These qualities helped the scientist decide main task own life.

Following a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest in 1982 and a brilliant graduation (there were not enough GTO standards passed for the gold medal) followed by Mathematical and Mechanics of St. Petersburg State University, and later graduate school, where Perelman also studied exclusively with “excellent” marks. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist, the scientist was faced with reality: science was experiencing a severe crisis. An internship in the USA unexpectedly took place, where the young scientist first met Richard Hamilton. The American mathematician made serious progress in solving the famous Poincaré problem. Moreover, he even outlined a plan, following which this decision could be reached. Perelman managed to communicate with him, and Hamilton made an indelible impression on him: he was open and spared no effort in explaining.

Institute building named after. Steklova in St. Petersburg

Despite offers to stay, at the end of the internship, Perelman returned to Russia, to his home apartment in a nine-story building in St. Petersburg in Kupchino (the notorious "ghetto" in the south of the city), and began working at the Mathematical Institute. Steklova. In his free time, he reflected on the Poincaré Hypothesis and the ideas that Hamilton had told him about. At this time, the American, judging by the publications, was unable to advance further in his reasoning. Soviet education gave Perelman the opportunity to look at the problem from the other side, using his own approach. Hamilton no longer responded to letters, and this became the “green light” for Perelman: he began working on solving the Hypothesis.

Every simply connected compact three-dimensional manifold without boundary is homeomorphic to a three-dimensional sphere.

The Poincaré conjecture belongs to topology - that branch of mathematics that studies the most general properties of space. Like any other branch of mathematics, topology is extremely specific and precise in its formulations. Any simplifications and retellings in a “more accessible form” distort the essence and have little in common with the original. That is why in this article we will not talk about the well-known thought experiment with a mug that, through continuous deformation, turns into a donut. Out of respect for the main character, we simply admit that it is difficult to explain the Poincaré Hypothesis to people far from mathematics. And for those who are ready to devote time and effort to this, we will provide several materials for independent study.

• Uspensky V.V. "From Poincaré to Perelman", part one
• Uspensky V.V. "From Poincaré to Perelman", part two
• Uspensky V.V. “From Poincaré to Perelman”, part three

The three-dimensional sphere is the object referred to in the formulation of the Poincaré Hypothesis

It took Perelman seven years to solve this problem. He did not recognize conventions and sent his works to scientific journals I did not submit it for review (a common practice among scientists). In November 2002, Perelman published the first part of his calculations on arXiv.org, followed by two more. In them, in an extremely condensed form, a problem even more general than the Poincaré Hypothesis was solved - this is the Thurston Geometrization Hypothesis, from which the first was a simple consequence. However, the scientific community received these works with caution. I was confused by the brevity of the solution and the complexity of the calculations that Perelman presented.

After the publication of the decision, Perelman again went to the United States. For several months he held seminars at various universities, talking about his work and patiently answering all questions. However main goal his trip included a meeting with Hamilton. It was not possible to communicate with the American scientist a second time, but Perelman again received an invitation to stay. He received a letter from Harvard asking him to send them his resume, to which he irritably replied: “If they know my work, they don’t need my CV. If they need my CV, they don't know my work."

Fields Medal

The next few years were marred by an attempt by Chinese mathematicians to claim credit for the discovery.(their interests were supervised by Professor Yau, genius mathematician, one of the creators of the mathematical apparatus of String Theory), the unbearably long wait for verification of the work, which was carried out by three groups of scientists, and the hype in the press.

All this went against Perelman’s principles. Mathematics attracted him with its categorical honesty and unambiguity, which is the basis of this science. However, the intrigues of his colleagues, concerned about recognition and money, shook the scientist’s faith in the mathematical community, and he decided not to study mathematics anymore.

And although Perelman’s contribution was eventually appreciated, and Yau’s claims were ignored, the mathematician did not return to science. No Fields Medal (analogous to the Nobel Prize for mathematicians), nor the Millennium Prize (million dollars) he didn't accept. Perelman was extremely skeptical about the hype in the press and minimized contacts with former colleagues. To this day he lives in the same apartment in Kupchino.

Timeline

Born in Leningrad.

As part of a team of schoolchildren, he participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest.

Perelman was invited to spend a semester each at New York University and Stony Brook University.

Returned to the institute. Steklova.

november
2002 -
July 2003

Perelman posted three scientific articles on the website arXiv.org, which in an extremely condensed form contained a solution to one of the special cases of William Thurston’s Geometrization Hypothesis, leading to a proof of the Poincaré Hypothesis.

Perelman gave a series of lectures in the United States on his works.

Perelman's results were verified by three independent groups of mathematicians. All three groups concluded that Poincaré's Problem had been successfully solved, but Chinese mathematicians Zhu Xiping and Cao Huaidong, along with their teacher Yau Shintang, attempted plagiarism, claiming that they had found a "complete proof".

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman (b. June 13, 1966, Leningrad) is an outstanding Russian mathematician who was the first to prove the Poincaré conjecture.

Biography

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad. His father was an electrical engineer who immigrated to Israel in 1993. Mother remained in St. Petersburg, worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school. It is a common misconception that Grigory Perelman is the son of the famous popularizer of science Yakov Perelman, but he died in March 1942 in besieged Leningrad.

Perelman graduated from the 239th Physics and Mathematics School in Leningrad. In 1982, as part of a team of Soviet schoolchildren, he won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad held in Budapest. He was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad State University without exams. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only with “excellent” marks. For academic success he received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school at the Leningrad branch of the Mathematical Institute. V. A. Steklova (POMI). After defending his PhD thesis, he remained to work at the institute as a senior researcher.

In the late 1980s, Perelman came to the United States, where he worked as a researcher at various universities. In 1996 he returned to St. Petersburg, where he worked at POMI. In December 2005, he resigned from his post as a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, resigned from POMI and almost completely broke off contacts with colleagues.

He showed no interest in a further scientific career. Currently lives in Kupchino in the same apartment with his mother, leads a secluded lifestyle, ignores the press.

Scientific contribution

Grigory Perelman is known for his work on the theory of Alexandrov spaces and was able to prove a number of hypotheses.

In 2002, Perelman first published his innovative work devoted to the solution of one of the special cases of William Thurston's geometrization conjecture, from which the validity of the famous Poincaré conjecture, formulated by the French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Henri Poincaré in 1904, follows. The method of studying Ricci flow described by the scientist was called the Hamilton-Perelman theory.

In 2006, Grigory Perelman was awarded the international Fields Medal for solving the Poincaré conjecture, but he refused it.

In 2006, Science magazine named the proof of Poincaré's theorem a scientific "Breakthrough of the Year". This is the first work in mathematics to earn this title.

In 2006, Sylvia Nazar wrote the article "Manifold Destiny", which talks about Grigory Perelman and the mathematical community and contains a rare interview with him.

In 2007, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published a list of 100 living geniuses, in which Grigory Perelman ranks 9th. In addition to Perelman, only 2 Russians were included in this list - Garry Kasparov (25th place) and Mikhail Kalashnikov (83rd place).

On March 18, 2010, the Clay Mathematics Institute announced that it had awarded Grigory Perelman a $1 million prize for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture. This is the first time in history that a prize has been awarded for solving one of the Millennium Challenges. It remains unclear whether Perelman will accept the award.

Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman(b. June 13, 1966, Leningrad, USSR) - an outstanding Russian mathematician who was the first to prove the Poincaré conjecture.

Grigory Perelman was born on June 13, 1966 in Leningrad into a Jewish family. His father Yakov was an electrical engineer who immigrated to Israel in 1993. Mother, Lyubov Leibovna, remained in St. Petersburg and worked as a mathematics teacher at a vocational school. It was his mother, who played the violin, who instilled in the future mathematician a love of classical music.

Until the 9th grade, Perelman studied at a high school on the outskirts of the city, however, in the 5th grade he began studying at the mathematical center at the Palace of Pioneers under the guidance of RGPU associate professor Sergei Rukshin, whose students won many awards at mathematical Olympiads. In 1982, as part of a team of Soviet schoolchildren, he won a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad in Budapest, receiving full marks for flawlessly solving all problems. Perelman graduated from the 239th Physics and Mathematics School in Leningrad. He played table tennis well and attended music school. I didn’t receive a gold medal only because of physical education, not passing the GTO standards.

He was enrolled in the Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics of Leningrad State University without exams. He won faculty, city and all-Union student mathematical Olympiads. All the years I studied only with “excellent” marks. For academic success he received a Lenin scholarship. After graduating with honors from the university, he entered graduate school (headed by Academician A.D. Aleksandrov) at the Leningrad branch of the Mathematical Institute. V. A. Steklova (LOMI - until 1992; then - POMI). Having defended his Ph.D. thesis in 1990, he remained to work at the institute as a senior researcher.

In the early 1990s, Perelman came to the USA, where he worked as a research assistant at various universities, where his attention was drawn to one of the most difficult, at that time unsolved, problems of modern mathematics - the Poincaré Conjecture. He surprised his colleagues with his ascetic lifestyle; his favorite foods were milk, bread and cheese. In 1996, he returned to St. Petersburg, continuing to work at POMI, where he worked alone on solving the Poincaré Problem.

In 2002-2003, Grigory Perelman published his three famous articles on the Internet, in which he briefly outlined his original method for solving the Poincaré Problem:

• The entropy formula for the Ricci flow and its geometric applications
• Ricci flow with surgery on three-manifolds
• Finite extinction time for the solutions to the Ricci flow on certain three-manifolds

The appearance on the Internet of Perelman's first article on the entropy formula for the Ricci flow caused an immediate international sensation in scientific circles. In 2003, Grigory Perelman accepted an invitation to visit a number of American universities, where he gave a series of talks on his work on the proof of the Poincaré Problem. In America, Perelman spent a lot of time explaining his ideas and methods, both in public lectures organized for him and during personal meetings with a number of mathematicians. After his return to Russia, he answered numerous questions from his foreign colleagues by email.

In 2004-2006, three independent groups of mathematicians were engaged in the verification of Perelman’s results: 1) Bruce Kleiner, John Lott, University of Michigan; 2) Zhu Xiping, Sun Yat-sen University, Cao Huaidong, Lehigh University; 3) John Morgan, Columbia University, Gan Tian, ​​Massachusetts Institute of Technology. All three groups concluded that Poincaré's Problem had been successfully solved, but Chinese mathematicians Zhu Xiping and Cao Huaidong, along with their teacher Yau Shintang, attempted plagiarism, claiming that they had found a "complete proof". They later retracted this statement.

In December 2005, Grigory Perelman resigned from his post as a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Mathematical Physics, resigned from POMI and almost completely broke off contacts with colleagues.

He showed no interest in a further scientific career. Currently lives in Kupchino in the same apartment with his mother, leads a secluded lifestyle, ignores the press.

Scientific contribution

Main article: Poincaré conjecture

In 1994 he proved the hypothesis about the soul (differential geometry).

Grigory Perelman, in addition to his outstanding natural talent, being a representative of the Leningrad geometric school, at the beginning of his work on the Poincaré Problem also had a broader scientific outlook than his foreign colleagues. In addition to other major mathematical innovations that made it possible to overcome all the difficulties faced by mathematicians dealing with this problem, Perelman developed and applied the purely Leningrad theory of Alexandrov spaces to analyze Ricci flows. In 2002, Perelman first published his innovative work devoted to the solution of one of the special cases of William Thurston's geometrization conjecture, from which the validity of the famous Poincaré conjecture, formulated by the French mathematician, physicist and philosopher Henri Poincaré in 1904, follows. The method of studying the Ricci flow described by the scientist was called Hamilton-Perelman theory.

Recognition and ratings

In 1996 he was awarded the European Mathematical Society Prize for Young Mathematicians, but refused to receive it.

In 2006, Grigory Perelman was awarded the international Fields Medal Prize for solving the Poincaré conjecture (the official wording for the award: “For his contribution to geometry and his revolutionary ideas in the study of the geometric and analytical structure of the Ricci flow”), but he refused it too.

In 2006, Science magazine named the proof of Poincaré's theorem the scientific breakthrough of the year. Breakthrough of the Year). This is the first work in mathematics to earn this title.

In 2006, Sylvia Nasar and David Gruber published the article "Manifold Destiny", which talks about Grigory Perelman, his work on solving the Poincaré Problem, ethical principles in science and the mathematical community, and also contains a rare interview with him. The article devotes considerable space to criticism of the Chinese mathematician Yau Shintan, who, together with his students, tried to challenge the completeness of the proof of the Poincaré Hypothesis proposed by Grigory Perelman. From an interview with Grigory Perelman:

In 2006, the newspaper The New The York Times published an article by Dennis Overbye, “Scientist at Work: Shing-Tung Yau. The Emperor of Math." The article is devoted to the biography of Professor Yau Shintan and the scandal associated with accusations against him of attempts to belittle Perelman's contribution to the proof of the Poincaré Hypothesis. The article cites a fact unheard of in mathematical science - Yau Shintan hired a law firm to defend his case and threatened to prosecute his critics.

In 2007, the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph published a list of “One Hundred Living Geniuses”, in which Grigory Perelman ranks 9th. In addition to Perelman, only 2 Russians were included in this list - Garry Kasparov (25th place) and Mikhail Kalashnikov (83rd place).

In March 2010, the Clay Mathematics Institute awarded Grigory Perelman a US$1 million prize for his proof of the Poincaré conjecture, the first ever prize awarded for solving one of the Millennium Problems. In June 2010, Perelman ignored a mathematical conference in Paris, at which the Millennium Prize was supposed to be awarded for the proof of the Poincaré conjecture, and on July 1, 2010, he publicly announced his refusal of the prize, citing the following reasons:

Note that such a public assessment of the merits of Richard Hamilton by the mathematician who proved the Poincaré Hypothesis may be an example of nobility in science, since, according to Perelman himself, Hamilton, who collaborated with Yau Shintan, noticeably slowed down in his research, encountering insurmountable technical difficulties.

In September 2011, the Clay Institute, together with the Henri Poincaré Institute (Paris), created a position for young mathematicians, the money for which will come from the Millennium Prize awarded but not accepted by Grigory Perelman.

In 2011, Richard Hamilton and Demetrios Christodoulou were awarded the so-called. The $1,000,000 Shao Prize in Mathematics, also sometimes called the Nobel Prize of the East. Richard Hamilton was awarded for creating a mathematical theory, which was then developed by Grigory Perelman in his work to prove the Poincaré conjecture. It is known that Hamilton accepted this award.

Interesting Facts

• In his work “The entropy formula for Ricci flow and its geometric applications” (eng. The entropy formula for the Ricci flow and its geometric applications) Grigory Perelman, not without humor, modestly points out that his work was partly financed by personal savings during his visits to the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the State University of New York (SUNY), the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of California in Berkeley, and thanks the organizers of these trips. At the same time, the official mathematical community allocated millions in grants to individual research groups in order to understand and test Perelman’s work.
• When a member of the Stanford University hiring committee asked Perelman for C.V. (resume), as well as letters of recommendation, Perelman opposed:

• The Manifold Destiny article was noticed by the outstanding mathematician Vladimir Arnold, who proposed reprinting it in the Moscow journal Uspekhi Matematicheskikh Nauk, where he was a member of the editorial board. The magazine's editor-in-chief, Sergei Novikov, refused him. According to Arnold, the refusal was due to the fact that Chief Editor magazine feared retaliation from Yau, since he also worked in the USA.
• The biographical book of Masha Gessen tells about the fate of Perelman “Perfect severity. Grigory Perelman: genius and the task of the millennium", based on numerous interviews with his teachers, classmates, co-workers and colleagues. Perelman's teacher Sergei Rukshin was critical of the book.

• Grigory Perelman became the main actor documentary film "The Spell of the Poincaré Hypothesis" directed by Masahito Kasuga, produced by the Japanese public broadcaster NHK in 2008.
• In April 2010, the “Khrushchev Millionaire” episode of the talk show “Let Them Talk” was dedicated to Grigory Perelman. It was attended by Grigory’s friends, his school teachers, as well as journalists who communicated with Perelman.
• In the 27th issue " Big difference“Channel One presented a parody of Grigory Perelman in the hall. The role of Perelman was simultaneously performed by 9 actors.
• It is a common misconception that the father of Grigory Yakovlevich Perelman is Yakov Isidorovich Perelman, a famous popularizer of physics, mathematics and astronomy. However, Ya. I. Perelman died more than 20 years before the birth of Grigory Perelman.
• April 28, 2011 " TVNZ"reported that Perelman gave an interview to the executive producer of the Moscow film company "President Film" Alexander Zabrovsky and agreed to film about him feature film. Masha Gessen, however, doubts that these statements are true. Vladimir Gubailovsky also believes that the interview with Perelman is fictitious.