The list of winners of the 2022 Ali Global Mathematics Contest was announced, and more than half of them were born after 2000. How do you evaluate this phenomenon?

The list of winners of the 2022 Ali Global Mathematics Contest was announced, and more than half of them were born after 2000. How do you evaluate this phenomenon?

【Written in front】

This year's competition attracted more than 55,000 applicants, of which post-00s accounted for more than 40%, and among the 77 winners, post-00s took half of the awards. As a new force in scientific research in the new era, "post-00s" are slowly rising; in the field of mathematics, they are gradually building a "golden generation" belonging to their era. What is your opinion on this phenomenon?

Author: Dylaaan

In my impression, earlier this year, I saw a poster for the Alibaba Math Competition on the first floor of the school's math building . It's a pity that I was anxiously preparing for further studies during that time, and I didn't even participate in the preliminary competition (of course, if I participated by myself, I would not be able to compete with the current winners).

As an enthusiastic audience outside the venue, I have been paying attention to this competition silently. The results of this year's Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition have finally come out. Let's worship the winners together~

1. What is the result of this competition?

Four gold medals were selected in this competition, respectively won by Lu Weixiao and Yao Yuan from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chen Zekun from Peking University , and Rao Zhenghao from Brown University.

Curious about the life experiences of the award-winning giants, I did a little research and found:

• Lu Weixiao is a 2016 undergraduate student at Peking University School of Mathematics and has won the silver award last year [1] ;

• Chen Zekun is a 2019 direct Ph.D. student in the School of Mathematics, Peking University, and has the experience of winning an excellence award before [2] ;

• Rao Zhenghao also studied at Peking University School of Mathematics and graduated in 2019 [3] .

After reading it, I feel that it is worthy of Peking University School of Mathematics, which has really cultivated many mathematical talents.

The school code of Peking University is 10001, and the code of Shuyuan in Peking University is No. 1. A short story can be inserted here: In 1919, Peking University implemented the "abolition of departments and establishment of departments". When President Cai Yuanpei determined the order of each department, he said, "Those who treat pure science must start with mathematics, so the order of each department is listed as the Department of Mathematics. It is the first department.” Therefore, the Department of Mathematics of Peking University is also called the “first department” [4] .

In addition, it is worth mentioning in the list of this competition that post-00 players won half of the awards. According to official data, the post-00s who were shortlisted for the finals accounted for more than 40% of the total number of finalists; the post-00s accounted for more than half of the final award-winning list. In the list of winners, the youngest is only 16 years old.

2. How do you view the results of post-00s in this competition?

On the one hand, there are many mathematicians who are young in mathematics but have shown mathematical talent, won awards in mathematics competitions, and even made important achievements at a young age.

Looking back, there is a German mathematician and "Prince of Mathematics" Gauss (Gauss, 1777-1855), who was gifted when he was young, and at the age of 19 he got the regular heptagonal ruler and compass drawing method; French mathematician The scientist Galois (Galois, 1811-1832) was only 21 years old when he died, but he was the founder of group theory in modern mathematics.

In modern times, Terence Tao, a Chinese mathematician , won the IMO gold medal at the age of 13, graduated from university at the age of 16, graduated from Princeton University at the age of 21, and was hired as a professor at the age of 24.

From my personal experience, when I participated in the mathematics competition training in high school, there were already junior high school students who came to observe (maybe even learned better than most people). It can only be said that there are indeed many super geniuses, which is no surprise in the circle of mathematics.

On the other hand, post-00s are also becoming a new force in scientific research in the new era.

In past reports, the "post-00s" seemed to be minors and children. But with the passage of time, the post-00s have grown up. Last year (2021), the first batch of post-00s had graduated from university. Many of them continued to enter the postgraduate study through the way of postgraduate insurance and postgraduate entrance examination. Continue to study in the field.

HBNW2RN-">I am also born after 2000 (born in 2001), and I am expected to graduate in 2023. After that, I will continue to study as a direct Ph.D. student in the direction of mathematics (to be precise, the direction of probability).

Not all mathematicians are once-in-a-century geniuses. Most of the strugglers in the front line of scientific research are also ordinary people, but they have a strong interest in their own direction. I believe that in a few years, more post-00s will appear on the front line of scientific research and continue to advance the historical process of mankind.

3. What are the special features of this competition? Why are all mathematicians eager to try it?

Finally, let’s popularize the science of the Alibaba Global Math Contest for the “melon eaters”.

Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition- DAMO Academy damo.alibaba.com/alibaba-global-mathematics-competition?lang=zh

This competition is an online mathematics competition with no registration threshold. It has been held four times so far. The winners in previous years include Wei Dongyi , who has attracted the attention of netizens before ; Tao Zhongkai , a senior from my undergraduate school, Xi'an Jiaotong University. God.

After careful study, the finals of this competition are divided into five tracks, namely Algebra and Number Theory, Geometry and Topology , Analysis and Equations, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Combination and Probability. The knowledge points investigated are relatively in-depth and close to modern mathematics, but many questions have realistic backgrounds. Take the probability that I am more familiar with, the eighth question of this year's preliminary competition is related to express delivery.

Considering that the process of random walk is a martingale, Doob's inequality needs to be used in the problem, and the conclusion proposed by Kesten in 1987 is also used. This has certain requirements for the knowledge accumulation and ability of the players.

The Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition is still a different competition. Here we can talk about some well-known (meaning I know) competitions:

• One is competitions that focus on problem-solving and have strong skills, such as the National High School Mathematics Competition (referred to as Gaolian) and the National College Student Mathematics Competition (referred to as CMC). The outline of the content, but the requirements for problem-solving methods are very high, and sometimes some "defying" structures make people confused;

• The other is competitions that require breadth and depth of knowledge, such as Shing-Tung Yau’s College Student Mathematics Contest (referred to as Qiu Competition), which includes analysis and partial differential equations, geometry and topology, algebra and number theory, applied and computational mathematics, probability and statistics The six directions of mathematics and physics are a bit like the Alibaba mathematics competition, but the topics are usually more theoretical and have no application background. This is different from the Alibaba mathematics competition.

No matter what kind of competition it is, whether it is Gaolian, CMC, Qiusai, or Alibaba mathematics competition, they have actually greatly encouraged people to learn and research mathematics.

Shamelessly cite my own example here (although I am not a mathematician), I will choose to continue my studies in mathematics. At first, it was because I participated in a mathematics competition in high school and discovered my interest in mathematics (I believe many people the same).

At the same time, as mentioned at the beginning, the Department of Mathematics is the "first department". No matter what kind of natural science it is, it is inseparable from the development of mathematics. As a mathematician, I am very happy to see that Alibaba holds such a math competition, attaches great importance to mathematics, and supports basic scientific research talents.

Author: Chaomu

In fact, it is quite common for the younger generation to win more prizes in competitions like this one with no threshold.

Related interests: An unknown 985 is studying.

Now it is different from before. In the past, there were still some situations where there was no way to improve abilities due to poor information.

But now everyone knows that competitions are very useful. In terms of utilitarianism, they can open up more possibilities for themselves. Ideally, they can learn more knowledge and feel the fun of the subject. So compared with our past, young people nowadays are very enthusiastic about various competitions, and they also have their own set of special ways to participate.

My brother is born in 2000 and is in high school. I just found out when I chatted with him a while ago that they have various competitions and selections every year, and everyone is very enthusiastic about participating. With the explosion of information in the Internet age, everyone quickly knows what they are best at and what they like the most, so try not to waste time on other aspects, and make some achievements to assist yourself.

In a sense, Ali opened a window for those who like mathematics and those who are interested in mathematics.

I also participated in Ali's competition. Objectively speaking, the difficulty of the questions was not so high at the beginning, and more emphasis was placed on the understanding and application of knowledge. It is undeniable that the flexibility and fun of the questions are good, but compared to ordinary people who have not done papers for a long time, many post-00s are skilled workers who have been immersed in various test papers. Whether it is the anti-detection ability of the question maker or the proficiency of the test itself, it is not at the same level.

Without him, only hands are familiar.

In general, as a competition to encourage all people to fall in love with mathematics, Ali's goal of science popularization has indeed been achieved, and he has also made some contributions to the field of mathematics education. I hope that there will be more professional competitions of this kind in the future. No matter what level it is, it is very good. Mathematics, as a subject that is often blacked out by everyone, can attract so many people to study, it is really happy.

Let me tell you secretly, I actually participated this year, but... I did it in a half-joking manner, and I was banned not long after, I am extremely ashamed. After watching the battle today, I decided to set up a flag, and prepare to fight again next year!

Author: Ah Xin

Do you think there is a possibility that the contestants are basically born after 00, and since ancient times, heroes have come out of teenagers, this is just a normal phenomenon.

The post-90s who were praised last time, for example, the first batch of post-90s retrogrades who rushed to the front during the epidemic. If time goes back 10 years, then the post-90s may be praised.

In addition, the qualifications for this kind of competition are only limited to the students in the school. The chances of junior high school students participating in the competition are not very high, and their knowledge reserve is not enough. At most high school and college students compete. The age range of post-00s is basically between 13 and 22 years old. Under normal circumstances, 13-15 years old are basically junior high school students, and 16 years old is regarded as the beginning of high school, except for some students who go to school too early. Generally, you start college at the age of 18 or 19, and at the age of 22, you are basically in your junior year. So the current university campus is basically dominated by post-00s.

It is not difficult to see from the list of winners that the winners are basically college students. So basically it is reasonable to say that it is a competition for college students, but it happens that the post-00s are the main force occupying the university at this time. Of course, there are many exceptions. We can still find middle school students in the list of outstanding winners, which is also commendable.

This phenomenon is not surprising at all, but I just lament the speed of time, and the post-00s will gradually become the main force of the next generation. The post-00s will gradually become the objects of expectation and attention given by our society.

Author: ordinary

Bole often exists, but Maxima does not often exist. No matter what industry or field you are in, if you want to make a breakthrough, the final destination must be people.

It can be seen that in many industries, the most sophisticated group of people may have less than two hands, and they have laid an extremely solid theoretical foundation with genius-like minds.

For example, Einstein who proposed the general theory of relativity, and von Neumann, the originator of computer, and Shannon, the founder of information theory.

Its most important pioneering work lies in the solid foundation of a theory, and future generations can step on the shoulders of giants for further development, which is also a process from 0 to 1.

They created 1, and then the talents can continue to expand later, 100, 100, 10ˆN.

Take von Neumann , the originator of computer , he is most famous for his contribution to modern computer infrastructure. In fact, there are many pure numbers and corresponding numbers in the papers he published in his life. At the same time, he has this amazing ability since he was a child memory and intellect.

The same is true for individual development. The foundation of youth determines the upper limit of future development to a large extent.

This is why more than half of the post-2000s appeared in this Alibaba Global Mathematics Contest, and their aspirations are not high. This is really not bragging.

But isn't it true that a person who has a genius-like mind when he is young will definitely achieve high scientific achievements in the future?

uncertain.

Because there are many things that hurt Zhongyong , I myself have seen all kinds of child prodigies, gifted classes, and young college students on TV since I was a child. For example, some people can memorize the 5,000 decimal points behind pi, and some people have super arithmetic ability, but when they grow up, most of them are hidden in the dust, and a few have made great achievements.

Some even go astray, and their lives are far worse than those of their peers who are far behind them intellectually.

The root cause is that it depends too much on talent and neglects acquired education and learning.

The reason why a talent is a talent is not that after being identified as a talent, it will always be a talent, because even from the perspective of probability, as long as the population is large enough, the number of talents will be in equal proportion.

Most European countries have only a few tens of millions of people, and our population is more than ten times larger than theirs. It stands to reason that the number of talents should also be in the same proportion.

The reason for this is mainly because pure scientific research used to be an advanced demand that appeared after the basic physiological needs were met.

It is almost impossible to do full-time scientific research with peace of mind without enough food and clothing.

This is also what I think is one of the great benefits of the Alibaba Global Mathematics Contest. The generous bonuses it provides are enough for the winners or the rich bonuses. For those who are engaged in mathematics, they may not need a rich life, but simple A stable life also requires financial support.

For example, Wei Shen and Wei Dongyi , who were popular on the Internet some time ago , became popular not because he was a young assistant professor at Peking University, but because he was carrying steamed buns and water bottles.

I have also met some professors and scholars. They actually don’t pay much attention to material conditions. Many times at noon, they are too busy to eat. Sometimes they eat a few pieces of candy to satisfy their hunger, and sometimes they just have a cup of coffee. The key is In this way, they can go to class and make reports in the afternoon. Sometimes it really pales in comparison.

But it's not that they are completely distracted, and they don't care so much about success in the worldly sense.

In fact, it is not. The material aspect is enough for some people, and they pay more attention to the honor of scientific research.

The sense of honor is false. You may be awarded an award, but you will not be given a penny, and you have to spend your own money to fly to receive it. But as long as this award is recognized by peers, it is a unique kind of honor that belongs to oneself.

Just like the Nobel Prize, Fields Medal, Turing Award , etc., the top awards in their respective fields are undoubtedly the most yearned for by every expert and scholar in the same field, because it represents their commitment to their work. Recognition at the highest level, and this stands out among countless peers, which is extremely competitive.

But having said that, even the path of a Nobel Prize winner has been walked step by step. They often show their talents at a young age, and then continue to learn to win the highest honor later.

For example, Tao Zhexuan , the great mathematician , before he won the Fields Medal, was constantly upgrading big and small monsters, and slowly grew into a boss-level existence.

The prize content of the Alibaba Global Mathematics Contest is also not low, because the number of participants of 55,000 and the generous bonuses have the absolute potential to attract real talents to participate.

Not only that, I think the significance of the global competition is not only that, but also has the advantage of teaching without discrimination.

Because of the characteristics of mathematics, everyone can participate in it. We learn mathematics in kindergartens, doctors also study mathematics, and we can also study mathematics after work. Mathematics is a subject with a wide range of participation.

Alibaba's global mathematics competition accepts applications from all people in the world, regardless of race, nationality, language, etc., and this has undoubtedly played a very good role in promoting people's interest in mathematics .

The second is to be able to dig out masters. The aroma of wine is not afraid of deep alleys, but some wines may have no taste, so this kind of competition can dig out masters.

The Wei Shen we mentioned before participated in Alibaba's global mathematics competition in 2019 and won the gold medal, which is enough to reflect the hardcore level of the award.

Finally, in recent years, the country has paid more and more attention to basic disciplines, because basic disciplines are like the three-body man in "Three-Body", due to the advantages in basic disciplines, one can use a sophon to lock human science and technology.

However, the development of basic disciplines depends entirely on people. The cultivation of talents not only requires an extremely perfect selection mechanism, but also pays attention to practical and psychological factors. Regardless of their age or era, post-00s are the backbone of future scientific research. For participating in this kind of global competition organized by Alibaba, whether it is a generous bonus or a very competitive honor, it is important for their future development. All of them are very positive.

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