For Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun, this trip to Sweden and Deguo was just a half-academic and half-tourism trip abroad, similar to a honeymoon. However, it was a major event for Qingmu University and even the Xiaguo academic community.

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Xia Guo has longed for the Fields Medal, the top award in the international mathematics community. Even in the past when Xia Guo's mathematics community was at its peak, due to various reasons, those old mathematicians were unable to win this top award when they were young. Even Grandmaster Chen

He has only won the Wolf Prize of the same level.

But now Qin Ke is obviously qualified to compete for the Fields Medal. According to the analysis of the Fields Medal winners over the years, as long as you win one of the Mathematics Breakthrough Prize and the Kohl Medal, you basically have a chance to enter.

Fields Medal nominees list.

In addition to two international awards, Qin Ke also has the Crawford Medal in his arms, which can directly enter the list of candidates for the Fields Medal.

So when Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun flew back to their motherland on an international flight, Xia Guo, Jingcheng, Qingmu University, professors from the Department of Mathematics headed by Mr. Qiu who returned home early, as well as Principal Huang, Principal Gu and other schools

Leaders and important faculty members gathered in the roundtable conference room.

There was only one topic at the meeting, and that was how to improve Qin Ke's probability of winning the Fields Medal.

If Qingmu University can produce a Fields Medal-winning student, it will greatly increase its popularity and status in the domestic and international mathematics circles. It will surely surpass YSU, and it will not be difficult for the Department of Mathematics to be upgraded to the School of Mathematics.

For school leaders and department leaders of the Department of Mathematics, this is an even greater achievement.

It is also of great significance to Xia Guo. It symbolizes that the rise of young and middle-aged mathematicians in Xia Guo has been internationally recognized. It can also inspire national aspirations and significantly enhance the country's soft power, cultural confidence, and educational self-confidence.

So it is not surprising that this issue is listed as a top priority at Qingmu University.

This topic was actually discussed as early as last year, but now that Qin Ke has won the Crafford Prize and introduced the fourth set of expressions of the Riemann Hypothesis, Qingmu University has seen greater hope of success. This assistance

I am even more enthusiastic about recommending Qin Ke to win the Fields Medal.

Principal Huang looked at Mr. Qiu and said politely: "Mr. Qiu, you have won the Fields Medal. Your speech is the most authoritative. Can you analyze it first?"

"It was decades ago that I won the Fields Medal, and my experience at that time cannot be accurate. But this time it is of great importance, and I have also asked many colleagues for a lot of information. I might as well say a few more words here.

." Mr. Qiu said in a deep voice:

"The competition among candidates for the Fields Medal is very fierce. There are hundreds of candidates for each Fields Medal. In the end, only two to four mathematicians stand out. How can we predict the probability of winning? There is almost no certainty.

The answer is that imu never discloses the details and specific indicators of the selection. But..."

Seeing everyone sitting up straight, Mr. Qiu continued: "However, the international mathematics community has long figured out a certain routine, that is, the greater the contribution you make to the mathematics community, the more outstanding academic achievements you achieve, the more

The more awards you win, the higher your international reputation, and the closer you are to 40, the higher your probability of winning."

Everyone nodded.

In other words, contribution rate, achievements, awards, reputation, and age will all be the basis for reference.

Although Mr. Qiu said that these are just rules summarized in anecdotal reports, which are not necessarily accurate. After all, there have been cases where less famous mathematicians won the Fields Medal, but in general, these rules are still mainstream.

It is an important basis for the media and even the mathematical community to speculate on which candidate has the greatest probability of winning.

After Mr. Qiu explained in detail, he sighed: "Frankly speaking, Qin Ke's advantages and disadvantages of winning the award are very obvious."

The junior high and high school mathematics teaching supplementary material "Kitten Lemon and Puppy Keke's Wonderful Mathematical Journey" written by Qin Ke has become very popular internationally. It has been translated into more than 30 languages ​​and is selling well all over the world. According to

According to feedback data, the total sales volume abroad has exceeded 50 million, and this is only about a year ago. Some international media speculated that the final sales figure of this set of teaching aids may be "beyond imagination."

From this point of view alone, Qin Ke must be satisfied with the first contribution to mathematics, not to mention that he also created two excellent methods for processing lime number theory.

As for academic achievements, he has successively proved the twin prime conjecture, Zhou's conjecture, Jebov's conjecture, Fibonacci sequence proposition, Polignac conjecture, hail conjecture and a series of world-wide problems. Recently, he also proposed the popular mathematics

Four sets of expressions of the Riemann Hypothesis that have aroused great discussion in the world.

These are all dazzling and great achievements that shocked international mathematicians.

Therefore, academic achievements must also be satisfactory.

In terms of fame, Qin Ke has received full support and momentum from colleagues in Qingmu University and even in the education field and overseas alumni. Qin Ke has become the most popular young mathematician known to everyone in the international mathematics community.

As for winning awards, having three international awards in hand is almost enough.

Only age is really a flaw.

Because even if Qinke wins the Fields Medal two more times, he will still be able to tie the record for the youngest recipient of the Fields Medal - Dr. Jean-Pierre Serre is the current youngest record holder.

He was 28 when he won the Fields Medal.

An old professor couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Qiu, you mean that IMU doesn't want Qin Ke to break Dr. Searle's 28-year-old award-winning record?"

Mr. Qiu shook his head: "It's hard to say. Let's not mention the age record. From the perspective of imu, there is one thing we have to think about. That is, once the Cink Fields Medal is awarded early, what else will there be in the future?

Can the award be awarded to him to encourage him to continue to reach new heights on the road of mathematics?"

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

This makes so much sense.

In the international mathematics community, "f (Fields) w (Wolf) a (Abel)" are the three top awards. In addition to the Fields Medal, which is awarded to mathematicians under the age of 40, the Wolf Prize

The Wolf Prize and the Abel Prize are basically awarded to senior mathematicians over fifty years old.

Once Qin Ke was awarded the Fields Medal early, wouldn’t it be necessary to wait thirty years before Qin Ke was awarded the top award?

Vice President Gu Bojun nodded slightly bitterly and said: "That makes sense. If we had changed our position at IMU, we would have had such concerns. In addition, the other popular candidates are nearly forty years old. Considering their age, IMU is indeed very likely to win.

The time for Qin Ke’s award will be postponed.”

Everyone is a little disappointed. Although after four or eight years, Qin Ke's probability of winning will be very high, but who knows if there will be any surprises? And of course, the sooner you get such a top prize, the better.

, at least if Qin Ke can win the award during their term of office, that will be their political achievement!

Mr. Qiu added: "In addition to these conditions, there is also a weather vane. In the past, I was invited by imu (International Mathematical Union) to give the most top-notch (one-hour long) academic report at the International Congress of Mathematicians. So this year

The probability of winning the Fields Medal will be relatively high. Tao Zhexuan gave a one-hour report at the International Congress of Mathematicians for two consecutive years and then won the award in the next one."

Everyone opened the information in their hands, which contained the list of the ten most popular candidates for the Philippine Prize, including Professor Maynard from the Eagle Country, Professor Huffman from the United States, and the Hungarian mathematician Professor Emilie Bolivar.

, as well as Professor Cheryl Alter, a female mathematician from China, etc.

Almost all of these popular candidates have won the honor of having such a one-hour report at the past few International Congresses of Mathematicians.

And what about Qin Ke? He has never even attended the International Congress of Mathematicians - after all, at the last International Congress of Mathematicians, Qin Ke was just a sophomore in high school and did not even participate in the Mathematical Olympiad preliminary round. In Yingyuan Private High School, except for the "Sleeping God"

He has no other reputation, and it is impossible to receive an invitation from imu to participate in such a top conference in the international mathematics community.

Wei Yuanfu, the head of the Department of Mathematics, gritted his teeth and said, "Mr. Qiu, is there really nothing we can do?"

Mr. Qiu suddenly smiled when he saw everyone's faces were heavy and said: "Everything depends on human effort. There are no absolutes in this world. We can do as much as we can. In addition, don't forget that Ning Qingyun is also qualified to compete for the Fields Medal.

It’s just that her probability of winning is much lower than Qin Ke’s.”

Principal Huang patted him and said, "Yes, no matter what, since Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun still have such a chance, they must try their best to increase their probability of success. Even if they can only increase the probability a little, it is better than just letting it go.

Of course it’s better to do nothing.”

Gu Bojun agreed: "Yes, now the international reputation of Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun is rising day by day. We must continue to activate overseas alumni relations, and apply to the higher authorities to activate close international media relations, and try our best to help them

To build momentum, we must first fight for any awards that can be given to them in the country, no matter how big or small. Domestic media interviews and special reports must also be done!"

As he spoke, he looked at Mr. Qiu sincerely: "Mr. Qiu, do you have any other suggestions?"

"It is necessary to build momentum, especially now that the major popular candidates have begun to work hard to build momentum. This is also an important reason why the international community regards them as popular candidates, and we cannot fall behind." Mr. Qiu

He nodded and said: "Besides, I suggest there are two things you can do in advance."

He faced everyone's expectant eyes and smiled: "Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun will finish their undergraduate studies in June this year. Although they majored in physics, they should continue to study physics with Academician Jiang Weixian.

postgraduate."

"But if I remember correctly, they are double majors, both students in the Department of Mathematics, and have obtained undergraduate bachelor's degrees in the Department of Mathematics. Therefore, I propose that they defend their master's degree and doctoral degree in mathematics as soon as possible.

, this requires the school to apply to the higher authorities for special approval.”

Everyone thought the same thing. IMU would have some concerns about letting an undergraduate win the Fields Medal. After all, in the past, the minimum was a Ph.D., and professorships were everywhere. Let Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun get a Ph.D. in mathematics first.

At least in name, the gap with other candidates will not be too big, which reduces imu's concerns.

Wei Yuanfu said with enthusiasm: "I second this. With their level of mathematics, a PhD in mathematics is more than enough. Their academic achievements can be used as thesis for a master's degree or a doctoral degree."

Principal Huang was very courageous in his work, and he immediately said without hesitation: "Okay, the Department of Mathematics will submit the application as soon as possible. The regulations for master's and doctoral degrees are relatively strict, and even special approvals have to go through a process... Well, Uncle

Jun, please discuss it with your two children and ask them to take time to cooperate with the process. I will be responsible for the specific application for approval from the superior."

Gu Bojun and Wei Yuanfu responded in unison.

Mr. Qiu suddenly smiled: "I have a small personal request here. After Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun get their doctorates, the school must agree to my Qiuzhen College hiring them as lecturers of the college. They will go to Qiuzhen College

Teach students.”

Everyone was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter. Mr. Qiu had been talking for a long time about his proposal to grant special approval to two children with doctorate degrees. It turned out that he was setting up an ambush for this matter.

However, of course Principal Huang would not refuse such a thing to improve students' mathematics level. He readily agreed: "There is no problem with the school, as long as they are voluntary. After all, when Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun came to our school, we were

I signed an agreement with them and cannot force them to do anything they are not happy with."

Mr. Qiu's mouth showed an unconcealable pride: "They had promised me this when they participated in the Qiu competition finals. As long as the school agrees, they will naturally fulfill their promise."

Everyone booed again, saying that Mr. Qiu had planned it long ago, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

When everyone calmed down, Mr. Qiu added: "The second thing is to fight for two or three more international awards for Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun. Generally speaking, those who are the most discussed and eventually win the Fields Medal

The candidates have already swept away most of the major prizes that can be won in the field of mathematics. Qin Ke and Ning Qingyun have now won the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics, the Kohl Prize and the Craford Prize, and the remaining heavyweight prizes have been eliminated.
To be continued...