Teen Tackles Centuries-old Numbers challenge

Posted on May 28, 2009  Comments (2)

teen tackles centuries-old numbers challenge

A 16-year-old Iraqi immigrant in central Sweden has single-handedly figured out a formula with Bernoulli numbers that is normally reserved for much more seasoned mathematicians, earning him praise from professors at prestigious Uppsala University.

While it’s not the first time that someone has shown such Bernoulli number relationships, it’s highly unusual for a first year high school student to make his way through the complicated calculations, according to Uppsala University senior maths lecturer Lars-Ã…ke Lindahl. “He’s a very clever guy,” Lindahl told The Local.

“What he did isn’t necessarily new, but it is quite remarkable for a first year high school student to take on these types of problems all on his own. It’s certainly an achievement.”

Altoumaimi plans to continue studying advanced math and physics over the summer. “I wanted to be a researcher in physics or mathematics; I really like those subjects. But I have to get better at English and social science,” he told Falu-Kuriren.

Related: Making Magnificent Mirrors with MathPlaying Dice and Children’s Numeracy1=2: A Proof

2 Responses to “Teen Tackles Centuries-old Numbers challenge”

  1. Jason
    May 30th, 2009 @ 2:58 pm

    It’s cool to hear stories about young kids making achievements and forging ahead especially for the fact that he comes from a country that is war torn.

  2. Teen Solves Puzzle That Has Stumped Mathematicians for 300 Years » Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog
    May 27th, 2012 @ 8:13 am

    […] Teen Tackles Centuries-old Numbers challenge (this time it was an Iraqi immigrant in Sweden) – Numeracy: The Educational Gift That Keeps on Giving – Our Brains Reorganize As We […]

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