Making math... at any age!
We generally like to highlight "genius" mathematicians, those who, very early on, showed undeniable predispositions for the queen of the sciences. Less is said about those, just as deserving, who continue their activity beyond a canonical or even venerable age! It must indeed be remembered: if mathematics wonderfully lends itself to the boldness of youth, it can appeal to all audiences, at all ages. Neuroscience confirms this today! This is what explains the extraordinary longevity of certain researchers, who have always followed their curiosity and never stopped trying to unravel the deepest mysteries of mathematical science.
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Late arrivals: great minds who came to mathematics late | Tangente
Few mathematicians reach their first fundamental results late in life. Yet examples exist, even among the most celebrated scholars. The reasons behind this turn toward the queen of the sciences at a mature age are varied, as shown by the paths of Cardano, Napier and Weierstrass.
H.S.M. Coxeter: A geometer's long life | Tangente
H.S.M. Coxeter was born on February 9, 1907, in Kensington, Great Britain. Since both his parents were art lovers, music became his first passion.
Roger Apéry and the irrationality of zeta(3)
Greek on his father’s side, Roger Apéry (1916–1994) spent his childhood in Lille (Nord) before moving to Paris in 1926. Living conditions there became difficult following the 1929 crisis and his father’s loss of his engineering job. To escape this environment, he placed his faith in France’s state school system and academic success.
Mathematicians to the last breath! | Tangente
Mathematical creativity seems to wane with age. Few results of real importance have been proved after the age of 50. Yet some mathematicians defy this prejudice, pursuing fruitful scientific work right up to their last breath. So what is their secret?
The second life of women mathematicians | Tangente
There is no shortage of examples of mathematical careers extended to a relatively advanced age, or begun late in life. The few women who, throughout history, managed to produce fine results despite every obstacle, often find themselves in one of these situations.
What neurologists think | Tangente
It seems widely accepted that our faculties diminish with age. What about our capacity to do mathematics? What can neuroscience specialists teach us about this?
Yitang Zhang's long, solitary quest | Tangente
Born in China in 1955, Yitang Zhang developed an interest in mathematics at an early age: at the age of 10, he discovered prime numbers and the puzzle of Fermat's Last Theorem. But during the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to work in the countryside with his mother and was unable to continue his studies.