Free Web NovelChapter 932: Chapter 475 The Pressure on the Top Student is Really Too Much!_1
Central hall.
The entire hall seemed somewhat quiet, as many seated below continued to stare at the whiteboard, still studying the proof of the NP problem displayed on it.
Among them, some were somewhat dissatisfied because the proof process for the NP problem did not come with any explanation. They had watched for over an hour, only to see someone writing on the board, feeling it was the most empty proof presentation they had ever witnessed.
These individuals primarily struggled to follow the train of thought; they could keep up with the proof process at the beginning, but later, they could only sit and watch.
Those with strong logical reasoning abilities could understand more than half of the material and continued to gaze at the content, attempting to follow along and comprehend further. It was not that those with a higher level of mathematical ability could understand more; the NP problem is a mathematical logic issue. In Zhao Yi’s proof, only a part involved three-dimensional graphical analysis, with many aspects pertaining to logic.
This kind of logical problem has nothing to do with its difficulty. In other words, during the whole proof process, no overly complex calculations or settings were involved. As long as one had sufficient fundamental knowledge and was willing to spend a significant amount of time, they could definitely understand it.
The difference lay in the time.
Logical problems in mathematics are very taxing on the brain cells.
It’s actually like sometimes when you look at a problem, and there’s just some ’turn’ you can’t get your mind around, no matter how you try to think about it. Then, upon revisiting it after some careful consideration, you suddenly understand, and you realize everything is incredibly simple.
In Zhao Yi’s proof process, there were many such ’turns.’ Mathematicians with strong logical thinking capabilities could follow the written proof and understand most of it.
Some mathematicians encountered ’turns’ they couldn’t get past right away. The best strategy was to skip over these ’turns,’ accept the results obtained, and continue to follow along to understand; otherwise, they would get lost.
Therefore, many people inside the hall felt they could understand the content on the whiteboard. After the proof presentation ended, they continued to earnestly look at and study it.
Because some couldn’t see very clearly, they even bent over to take photos before sitting back in their seats to continue their investigation.
The host did not hurry them.
The central hall’s morning schedule was dedicated to the proof of the NP problem, normally followed by a 40-minute Q&A session. However, Fan Lei stated there would be no Q&A, allowing everyone to do as they pleased.
After gaining a deeper understanding of the proof process on the whiteboard, some people suddenly realized why Fan Lei did not offer explanations.
Because...
No explanations were needed!
The content did not involve anything too profound; the difficulty lay in logical thinking. If you could think it through, you could understand it on your own; if you couldn’t, further explanation would be pointless.
They began to conjecture, "That’s why there were no explanations, perhaps that young man who came on stage didn’t deign to explain."
"He was just a stand-in for Zhao Yi, everyone refers to him as Zhao Yi’s proxy, not by his own name." freēwēbnovel.com
"He must feel quite frustrated..."
Someone next to Zhou Li remarked in English, but Zhou Li understood perfectly. Precisely because of this, he felt extremely perplexed.
"Why is that?"
"How does not explaining turn into disdain for explaining? And ’having character’? Bunch of crap, he just doesn’t understand at all!"
"Should I expose him?"
Zhou Li gave this serious thought and ultimately decided against it. No matter what, Fan Lei was one of their own, and it was nice for him to receive positive evaluations from others.
There’s a saying that the truth is often in the hands of the few.
"Then I might as well continue to be one of the few!" Zhou Li felt a sense of superiority in having grasped the truth.
...
Fan Lei, was one of their own.
Qiu Chengwen, was also somewhat one of their own.
When Qiu Chengwen was being interviewed by reporters, Zhou Li stood by his side and whispered reminders, "Stop bringing up Fan Lei, Professor Qiu. I’ll be honest with you, Fan Lei is truly not some mathematical genius."
Qiu Chengwen looked at Zhou Li with a puzzled expression, as if coming to a realization and looking back with dissatisfaction.
He proceeded with the interview as usual.
The reporters were concerned about whether the NP problem had been solved. Each of the seven Millennium Prize Problems solving would shake the world, and up to that point, only the Poincaré Conjecture had been proven.
Qiu Chengwen said, "I haven’t fully understood the proof process because it’s quite extensive, but I’ve grasped most of it and have an overview of the proof’s rationale. I need to go back to study and verify it further."
"There’s just so much logical content in it."
"But I personally believe the proof is correct because it feels like it’s headed in the right direction."
"If this proof is confirmed to be correct, it will be sensational news for the world, marking a significant advancement in global mathematics."
"The NP problem, being the first of the seven Millennium Prize Problems, signifies its impact. Many mathematicians, including myself, have been interested in the NP problem, but until recently, there had been no progress."
"The proof of this problem will make the mathematical theoretical foundation more solid and stable."
"Problems like this may seem insignificant, but they are actually the most fundamental things, the very basics, like building a house. Present mathematics and its applications are like the skyscrapers we see, while the NP problem is the foundation, invisible yet essential."
