Money for proofs

Syth · 05-09-2003 9:39pm #1

I read that Erdos used to give money for proofs to theorems, and that the process is still goin on AFAIK. Is this true? Are there any sites which'll give info on any outsanding theorems? Mite be able to get some money, if i'm lucky...

smiles · 05-09-2003 10:02pm

Million dollar reward for proving Goldbach's conjecture

<< Fio >>

ecksor · 05-09-2003 11:57pm

Yeah, Erdos did that, and some people are continuing on his fund for the problems that he left outstanding after he died. Mainly to do with number theory and graph theory iirc. Perhaps some ramsey theory? Can't remember the name of the chap that's doing that though, AT&T chap, expert juggler and acrobat, record for largest number used in a proof ... um ...

ecksor · 05-09-2003 11:58pm

Oh, the goldbach conjecture thing was a stunt by faber to sell that book, but you can also make a million by solving any of the problems that the clay institute set.

sceptre · 06-09-2003 12:19am

Andrew Wiles picked up a few grand of a prize for proving Fermats last theorem. There was no money going for disproving it though.

There's a hundred grand if you can prove (or disprove AFAIR) the Riemann hypothesis. Reputedly pushed Nash over the edge though so probably not a good idea to even look at it if you're predisposed to any mental problems. It just looks so beautifully simple...

ecksor · 06-09-2003 12:23am

The Riemann Hypothesis is one of the problems named by the clay institute and therefore has one million dollars offered for it. There is a specific clause that says that disproof by exhaustive search does not qualify for the prize, but I don't remember hearing that about Fermat's ...

ecksor · 06-09-2003 9:12am

Originally posted by ecksor
Can't remember the name of the chap that's doing that though, AT&T chap, expert juggler and acrobat, record for largest number used in a proof ... um ...

Ron Graham

sionnach · 06-09-2003 9:16am

i thought a banker who was a bit of an armchair mathematician now funds the erdos prizes?

ecksor · 06-09-2003 9:23am

That sounds familiar. I think he promises to honour any of the blank cheques that erdos left behind ?

I can't find a decent online reference for this and I lent by book about him to someone ...

Capt'n Midnight · 07-09-2003 1:32pm

If you could find a set of numbers that disproved any of the theroms - you could try getting odds from a bookie - put down the bet and volia....

Syth · 07-09-2003 7:21pm

If you could find a set of numbers that disproved any of the theroms - you could try getting odds from a bookie - put down the bet and volia....

Can just imagine going to a small town bookie
"Hiya, What are the odds on the proof of there being a non-topologically similar 7-dimensional manifold with the same reduced Smith form as the Garfield diamond?"

Hehe the look on the bookie's face'd be hilarious!

(OK I made that thing up, but you get the idea)

rainbow kirby · 09-09-2003 10:56am

lol!

sceptre · 16-09-2003 7:47pm

Originally posted by ecksor
The Riemann Hypothesis is one of the problems named by the clay institute and therefore has one million dollars offered for it.

(thanks for the correction)

There is a specific clause that says that disproof by exhaustive search does not qualify for the prize, but I don't remember hearing that about Fermat's ...

Simon Singh lists the rules of the Wolfskehl prize in Fermat's Last Theorem (p 135 on). As you suspected, it doesn't specifically say there's no money for disproving it but doesn't list anything other than money for proving it.

Originally posted by Capt'n Midnight
you could try getting odds from a bookie - put down the bet and volia....

People apparently tried just that at the bookies in Cambridge just before Wiles' original (flawed) proof to Fermat was presented. Just as well the bets weren't taken as most people wanted to bet the theorem would be solved within the week (it wasn't)

(having another quick flick through the Singh book, Wiles picked up 50 thousand dollars for the proof)

Money for proofs

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