Genius of the Rules-Style System

Chapter 575: Chapter 335 Look! That’s the student!_2

He genuinely felt that he didn’t understand physics.

Compared to mathematics and computer science, his understanding of physics could only be considered rudimentary. He knew some principles of the particle accelerator, but such basic knowledge held little significance. Building and understanding the principles are two separate matters; his involvement would serve no purpose.

After exchanging a few words with Qian Zhijin, he put the matter behind him and continued to delve into topology.

The basic knowledge of topology could be learned from books. However, touching upon the more profound aspects of the subject was not something that could be gleaned from books.

He specifically visited the internal library of the College of Science, which housed several advanced professional books. But after a long search, he couldn’t find a suitable one. One book that looked promising was written in Russian.

Zhao Yi had no intention of learning a foreign language just to read one book. He decided instead to consult a specialist in topology.

The Yanhua University College of Science was not small, with seven professors of mathematics on campus. One was abroad for an exchange program, while the others had little research interest in topology. Even their understanding of the subject probably fell short of Zhao Yi’s.

Zhao Yi asked Professor He Mingcheng but was met with disappointment.

He Mingcheng said, "If you want to understand the profound content of any branch of mathematics, you must find someone who is proficient in the related research and has achieved some success in the field."

Such a person would naturally be hard to find.

Topology, in the domestic context, was considered a ’niche subject.’ To find someone who had engaged in specialized research and had accomplishments...

In any case, Zhao Yi didn’t know anyone.

He decided to video call Edward Witten to see if he had researched topology.

Upon seeing Zhao Yi, Edward Witten was very enthusiastic. It was rare for Zhao Yi to initiate contact as Edward usually was the one to do so. However, what Zhao Yi said left him surprised, "Topology?"

He reluctantly admitted, "I have researched it, but only when initially constructing the M Theory."

"By borrowing the concept of topology and combining it with Fermat’s Last Theorem and the Riemann Conjecture as a foundation, I constructed the geometric topology of M Theory. That is my most successful mathematical work."

Edward’s eyes shone with excitement as he spoke, but there was also regret. "However, I merely borrowed from the concept and methodology of topology. I haven’t really conducted any special research on topology."

"But you don’t need cutting-edge research, do you?" he suddenly counter-asked.

Zhao Yi thought that was correct as well.

He wanted to understand more about topology, to comprehend some profound topology theories and research, but not necessarily in the form of leading-edge research. Maybe some profound basics could also be helpful to him.

Edward then enthusiastically began to talk about topology. Unfortunately, there was nothing particularly new, as Zhao Yi was already familiar with most of it, and the new aspects appeared to lack significance.

Seeing Zhao Yi’s somewhat disappointed expression, Edward couldn’t help asking, "Why are you studying topology... Could it be that you’re trying to reconstruct the geometric topology of the M Theory? Or in other words, are you trying to explore multi-dimensional space?"

His eyes brightened at the thought. "This is indeed a very interesting idea, using topology. Why didn’t I think of that?"

"Come to think of it, extending from the direction of topology could perhaps aid in understanding four-dimensional space or multi-dimensional space!"

"Perhaps topology could be the key to unlocking the search for four-dimensional space!"

Edward sounded incredibly confident.

Zhao Yi was a little stunned as he listened. How did the topic turn to four-dimensional space? He listened further to Edward’s explanation and found that it indeed made sense.

In his excitement, Edward offered an example: a flat piece of paper, when crumpled, remains essentially flat as the paper itself has not changed. It’s merely the surface that has been disturbed, which, if not considering the space in the middle, leaves the paper as a two-dimensional object. However, introducing this space in the middle seemingly transformed the paper into a three-dimensional object.

This would be a transition from two-dimensional to three-dimensional.

Topology starts with three dimensions. An object in space can stretch and change shape but still follow certain rules.

For example, a doughnut cannot be transformed into a sphere; this is one such rule. freewebnσvel.cøm

If on the basis of changing shape and state in three-dimensional space, some new element was introduced, such as fluctuation of space, would this result in four-dimensional space?

This was not beyond comprehension.

In explanations of gravity, there is a concept that when space is compressed, it generates gravity or rather, a curvature in space.

Currently, the scientific community can understand the twist and pressure in space. Based on these, perhaps exploring other changes combined with the study of topology could result in a four-dimensional space?

As Edward spoke excitedly and shook with anticipation, it seemed as if he were on the verge of proving the multi-dimensional space in string theory. He said impatiently, "Zhao Yi, your idea is brilliant! It’s simply genius!"

"Topology is indeed the most suitable subject for string theory!"

"Now I must do some research too. I’ll join you in the research. I’m luckier than you as my colleague, Pierce, has published several research results in topology."

After saying this, he ended the video call.

Zhao Yi stared at the screen in perplexity for a long time. He had only asked Edward for some advice on topology. How did Edward stray onto the path of using topology to find four-dimensional space?

And why did he claim this to be Zhao Yi’s genius idea?

His real intention was to use topology to solve Fermat’s Last Theorem – not to explore multi-dimensional space!