(H: Host — the woman M: Mathematician — the man) H: Could you tell me a little about the beginning of your entering the field of mathematics M: I started very, very young. I am self-taught, in fact. I have a high school degree, from the Bronx High School of Science. I don’t have a college degree. I only have an honorary doctorate. H: Can you tell me about your time at high school M: Yeah. In 1956 when the Russians put Sputnik in orbit, the United States got terrified, so they started having special programs for gifted children to study science. I benefited from all of this. I went to a special NY high school for science called the Bronx High School of Science; there was a wonderful science and math library there. I was very fortunate that I was there at the right time, at a time when the United States was trying to make new scientists. I took university level courses in high school and they were wonderful courses because they were done by some of the best people in their fields. They were really new. They were not following the old curriculum, the old subjects. In every way they were very up-to-date and modern presentations of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. I didn’t have to waste time with a course which was really out of date. And I also went to a program at Columbia University for bright high school students. There were professors at Columbia University teaching, Saturday morning, bright students from high schools. That was wonderful. One of the things they did which were maybe even better than the course itself was that they let me use the Columbia University libraries. I was allowed to look at the books. I was reading immense quantities of books on my own. I was an unbearable child; my mind was ablaze with mathematics and scientific ideas. H: It was early that your interest and study of mathematics started. Was there a book or something that triggered it M: Well, I swallowed up many books. I looked for books that I could study on my own, books that emphasized the fundamental ideas. One of these books was A Mathematician’s Apology by G. H. Hardy that I mentioned before. H: You read that very early M: I read it very, very early. It is a delightful book. The normal textbooks require that you study a vast series of textbooks one by one. I looked for books that enable me to just parachute or jump into a subject without having to do fifteen courses first. H: Well, as you have been working on it so long, what is your view about science Is mathematics discovered or is it invented M: As far as I am concerned, there are two kinds of science: One kind of science is when you already have an exciting field and you need to progress in that field. The most exciting thing for me is when you create a completely new field. Is mathematics discovered or is it invented When I was young, I thought things were black or white but as I grow older I understand that everything is complicated and different viewpoints are also correct. So, some days of the week I think mathematics is invented, other days of the week I think it is discovered. I mean, both viewpoints have validity and they illuminate the same subject from different angles.
(H: Host — the woman M: Mathematician — the man) H: Could you tell me a little about the beginning of your entering the field of mathematics M: I started very, very young. I am self-taught, in fact. I have a high school degree, from the Bronx High School of Science. I don’t have a college degree. I only have an honorary doctorate. H: Can you tell me about your time at high school M: Yeah. In 1956 when the Russians put Sputnik in orbit, the United States got terrified, so they started having special programs for gifted children to study science. I benefited from all of this. I went to a special NY high school for science called the Bronx High School of Science; there was a wonderful science and math library there. I was very fortunate that I was there at the right time, at a time when the United States was trying to make new scientists. I took university level courses in high school and they were wonderful courses because they were done by some of the best people in their fields. They were really new. They were not following the old curriculum, the old subjects. In every way they were very up-to-date and modern presentations of mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. I didn’t have to waste time with a course which was really out of date. And I also went to a program at Columbia University for bright high school students. There were professors at Columbia University teaching, Saturday morning, bright students from high schools. That was wonderful. One of the things they did which were maybe even better than the course itself was that they let me use the Columbia University libraries. I was allowed to look at the books. I was reading immense quantities of books on my own. I was an unbearable child; my mind was ablaze with mathematics and scientific ideas. H: It was early that your interest and study of mathematics started. Was there a book or something that triggered it M: Well, I swallowed up many books. I looked for books that I could study on my own, books that emphasized the fundamental ideas. One of these books was A Mathematician’s Apology by G. H. Hardy that I mentioned before. H: You read that very early M: I read it very, very early. It is a delightful book. The normal textbooks require that you study a vast series of textbooks one by one. I looked for books that enable me to just parachute or jump into a subject without having to do fifteen courses first. H: Well, as you have been working on it so long, what is your view about science Is mathematics discovered or is it invented M: As far as I am concerned, there are two kinds of science: One kind of science is when you already have an exciting field and you need to progress in that field. The most exciting thing for me is when you create a completely new field. Is mathematics discovered or is it invented When I was young, I thought things were black or white but as I grow older I understand that everything is complicated and different viewpoints are also correct. So, some days of the week I think mathematics is invented, other days of the week I think it is discovered. I mean, both viewpoints have validity and they illuminate the same subject from different angles.
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