Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 287 "The Goddess of Chinese Literature at Peking University" and "The Mathematical Genius Girl from Harbin Institute of Technology"

"Please come in."

Principal Wang Chunguo seemed to have been prepared. When he saw Zhai Da leading Lu Wei into the office, he naturally got up to fetch a thermos and make tea.

This time, I guarantee there won't be any problems!
"I ran into you a few days ago, and I told you you could come to me if you had any problems. I didn't expect it to happen so soon. What's wrong, Xiao Zhai? Did you run into some trouble?"

He instinctively felt that the main character this time should be Zhai Da, as for Lu Wei, who was mostly quiet and obedient.

Zhai Da is the one who gets all the trouble.

However, this time they were clearly wrong.

Zhai Da pulled Lu Wei in front of him and said with a smile, "Lu Wei wants to ask you about something."

"Oh? Little Lu?"

A strange thought popped into Principal Wang Chunguo's mind: Could it be that he came to mediate a relationship problem?
Zhai Da gave Lu Wei an encouraging look, signaling her to speak up herself.

Since it's inevitable that research findings will be made public in academia and appear in the public eye, there has to be a first time. Facing the university president is just a practice run.

Lu Wei said softly, "I'm afraid I won't do it well."

Zhai Da: "It's alright, this is our principal."

Lu Wei nodded, took a deep breath, and strode forward.

He took out a few sheets of paper from his bag and placed them on the principal's desk.

"Look, the paper."

Principal Wang: ?

Lu Wei turned to look at Zhai Da, as if asking: How is it?
Zhai Da stretched out one hand and gave a thumbs up.

You've successfully intimidated the principal!

We should still encourage them.

"Let me do it."

Zhai Da invited the principal to sit on the sofa and talk slowly.

"That's right, since the beginning of last semester, Lu Wei has been studying the 'Sensitivity Conjecture'..."

In theory, once Lu Wei had prepared her manuscript, she could have submitted it to the relevant journal herself, waited for the review and approval process, and then proceeded with other matters.

To put it another way, if she wanted some advice and support, there seemed to be no need to bring a paper to the principal's office. The principal is not a mathematician; he should have gone to a professor in the mathematics department. In the end, she went up the chain of command, shocked and exclaiming, "This woman is terrifying!", until she finally alarmed the principal.

Just like in many stories.

But Zhai Da felt that instead of working from the bottom up, it was better to work from the top down. What was wrong with the saints knocking on the principal's door?
Even if the person is genuinely there to mediate a relationship issue, the principal would still be forcibly detained for half an hour.
What can Principal Wang do to help? First, he can ensure that the paper receives sufficient attention as soon as it emerges, and that no one at any stage has the idea of ​​appropriating it for themselves.

Zhai Da doesn't understand, and Harbin Institute of Technology probably wouldn't be like that either, but you can't wait until the rats have gnawed down to your underwear before you think of using rat poison. The rats can't beat you, but it's always disgusting to see them popping up.
They are both laymen in academia; they can only say that they each have a little bit of academic knowledge, but they haven't entered the "field" yet.

It's said the water inside is very deep; I'm afraid I won't be able to hold my own.

In addition, they needed advice on which journals were most suitable to maximize the impact of their research, or how to further expand their achievements after publication. The two spent a long time searching online last night and narrowed it down to a few options, but they still didn't fully understand them.

Finally, Zhai Da estimated that Lu Wei's paper format might have some flaws.
Anyway, there are many areas where the school needs guidance, and the intricacies are unclear. So, let's just go straight to the point and let the principal handle it.

Principal Wang frowned slightly, holding the printed paper in his hand.
"Is this a thesis?"

Zhai Da asked in confusion, "What's the problem?"

Principal Wang rubbed his hands together, spreading six sheets of paper evenly on his fingertips. If this were used in a card game, all that would be left would be gone in one hand.
"Six sheets of paper proved a mathematical conjecture?"

Although he had never heard of "The Sensitivity Conjecture," I've read quite a lot of books, so don't try to fool me!
Lu Wei said, "This is the most beautiful and best-looking way."

The original process, which was nearly 300 pages long, has been reduced to such a extent by Xiaomutou that Zhai Da doesn't understand it, but he also finds it outrageous.

"Um, let me take a look first."

A dozen minutes later, the principal still shook his head.

I lost focus and started to misunderstand things halfway through.

With the development of science, various fields are becoming more and more specialized and in-depth. It is difficult to make up for the unrelated parts with intelligence and literacy, let alone a principal who has been away from research work for many years.

For example, "Sensitivity Conjecture" belongs to the interdisciplinary field of mathematics and computer science, specifically the Boolean function section.

This long list of subdivisions shows that modern science has extended its reach far too far; there is no such thing as a "polymath," and even bringing in Newton might not be effective.

By the way, Lu Wei doesn't know much about computers, only the general rules. She approached it from a purely mathematical perspective. It's common for mathematicians to jump to computer science, but the reverse is much more difficult.

So, just as Zhai Da had predicted, Principal Wang made the phone call.

Half an hour later, three professors from the mathematics department arrived. They all specialized in algebra, and two of them had even taught Lu Wei.

After Principal Wang explained, the three professors all found it abstract.
One of the "Peerless Realm" experts pushed up his glasses: "Anyway, it's only six pages, let's take a look first."

The mathematics department of Harbin Institute of Technology is ranked around 7th to 10th in the country (it has dropped in later years), and has even reached as high as 5th under different evaluation criteria, so it is still very strong.

However, it is withering away.

The economic slowdown has reduced the university's attractiveness to talent, leading to a decline in the quality of its student body, which in turn affects every aspect of this long-established university. This story has been told many times.

The previous generation of teachers had strong teaching staff, but this generation of students did not have many outstanding performances, and their rankings have dropped further after more than ten years.

Lu Wei is the future hope of the mathematics department, but she is too "well-behaved". She attends classes quietly and never raises her hand, let alone participates in after-class discussions. Therefore, in the eyes of the three professors, she is an ordinary undergraduate with a "promising future".

It's now said that the freshman proved the mathematical conjecture. It seems more likely to be a "false alarm".

The three professors watched the presentation while also answering Principal Wang's questions.

For example, what is the "Sensitivity Conjecture"?

The old professor said, "From a purely mathematical perspective, it refers to Boolean functions, for any..."

The principal interrupted the spellcasting directly: "Let's talk about it from a non-pure mathematical perspective, and discuss its significance and difficulty."

Do I need to call you here if I can understand this?
"Significance. Let's put it this way: all logical combinations in a computer, including operations and circuits, can be represented by Boolean functions. Therefore, the sensitivity of Boolean functions corresponds to the 'data processing efficiency' problem in computer science."

Zhai Da listened attentively as the old professor explained, because he had always been very curious.
"The significance is that it 'may' optimize computer data processing and circuit efficiency, simplify the process of handling massive data samples, and shorten the decision-making process for complex problems as much as possible while ensuring the outcome remains unchanged. This 'may' depends on how computer science is applied."

"Of course, it's also related to cryptography and quantum computing."

Zhai Da couldn't help but exclaim, "That's amazing! It even involves quantum computing?"

This sounds like it's heading straight for science fiction!

The old professor considered for a moment and said, "That's not entirely true. Theoretical research in mathematics is inherently ahead of other disciplines, so breakthroughs in mathematics, when applied to real-world applications, often sound high-end, or even completely impractical."

If any mathematical conjecture remains unresolved, it means that all known methods are ineffective. Therefore, the difficulty before solving it is naturally unpredictable, but we can roughly infer it based on the effort mathematicians have put in and the amount of hair they have lost.
The more mediocre people you fill the pool with, the more hair loss you experience, and naturally, the harder it becomes.

In comparison with other theories, the difficulty of the "Sensitivity Conjecture" should be considered average, not a popular conjecture, much less a century-old problem.

But this is the epitome of lofty mathematics! Even the most obscure conjecture within it represents the highlight of countless mathematicians' lives.
Zhai Da and Principal Wang, both laymen, stopped interrupting and patiently waited for the result. The three mathematics professors also gradually quieted down.

Contrary to expectations, Zhai Da initially thought they would keep asking Lu Wei all sorts of questions, but in reality, apart from being interrupted by him and the principal, the three professors didn't say another word.

Their expressions gradually became more interesting, and they each asked for paper and pen to write and draw.

Moreover, the time was very short, only half an hour, and Lu Wei finished reading the content that she had been studying for a semester and a half.

Zhai Da was starting to doubt whether Xiao Mutou had really made a mistake.
But the result was exactly the opposite!

"So concise and clear?"

"This is the most mathematically beautiful proof I have seen in more than a decade."

"That's amazing. They used a matrix tracing tool, and the core application is actually Cauchy's alternation theorem! They actually used this method to connect the eigenvalues ​​of a matrix with the eigenvalues ​​of its submatrices, and then extended it to N-dimensional space."

The sensitivity conjecture is only twenty years old, still very young for a mathematical conjecture, but it also signifies the setbacks and failures of countless mathematicians. Lu Wei's work comes at a time when everyone thought that overcoming this hurdle required building a bridge.
It innovatively adopted "wingsuit flying".

The three professors were shocked not because it was too difficult, but because it was too easy!

In the mathematics community, the pursuit of "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" is universal, aiming to prove complex problems in a simple way.

That's fucking awesome!

There was once a saying that a mathematical paper exceeding 100 pages does not mean that it has solved a mathematical problem, but only increases human understanding of mathematics.

What does six pages mean?
The romance of mathematics is overwhelming, even reminding them of their youth and the pure enjoyment they had of the mathematical world – a memory of their lost youth!
Seeing the three professors' utter shock, Principal Wang pressed further, "So, this paper has no problems? What level of research is this?"

After the three professors exchanged words, the youngest of them said:
"Just the proof is already a major breakthrough in mathematics, something that happens only a few times a year. It's a significant achievement domestically and will attract widespread attention internationally."

"But more importantly, Xiao Lu only used six pages, and considering her young age, this achievement will be given a very legendary quality. Let's just say it would be broadcast on the evening news for three minutes!"

In 09, a time when all sectors of Chinese society were seeking international recognition, any academic achievement in the special field of mathematics could become a new brick or tile for rebuilding national self-confidence.

This really deserves to be on the evening news!
The professor's unspoken message: Harbin Institute of Technology is going to be included too!
The mathematics department also received a huge boost!
Principal Wang laughed heartily.

"Good! Excellent! Little Lu, you really made a big commotion without making a sound!"

One professor remarked, "Yes, Xiao Lu, how long have you been researching this? Why haven't I heard you mention it in class?"

Lu Wei simply shook her head calmly: "I'm just figuring it out on my own."

Zhai Daxin thought to himself: If they knew that Lu Wei only used it as a daily pastime, and that she would have put it away in a cabinet after she finished calculating it if I hadn't persuaded her, I wonder what they would think.

The "Sensitivity Conjecture" has been proven successful and certified, but it is still some time away from publication.

For example, it is riddled with formatting errors, and if it wants to gain recognition from the international mathematics community, it must be translated into English.

As for which journal to submit to, the three unanimously suggested submitting directly to two journals, namely the *Acta Mathematica Sinica*.

To reiterate, even if it's a relatively easy conjecture, it's still a well-known and valid hypothesis, and the mathematical beauty presented in six pages is enough to convince any reviewer.

No mathematician could resist such romance.

There was no need to continue the work in the principal's office after that. Although it was great news, Principal Wang had many things to manage and several meetings were already scheduled for him.

Zhai Da acted as a "family member" and was taken to the mathematics department's office building. The news began to spread further, and more and more professors got involved. The topics of discussion became completely incomprehensible to Zhai Da.

But in the crowd, Zhai Da held Lu Wei's hand the whole time.

Whenever Lu Wei felt uncomfortable talking to people, she would gently squeeze her soft hand in encouragement.

Give a warm look.

From their reunion after their rebirth to entering university together, Zhai Da has always been the more prominent one among the two.

Lu Wei was often the "supporting actress" in his shining moments.

But he always believed that Miss Wooden Man would eventually have her moment in the spotlight.

The joy of nurturing a character is that simple.

As time passed, it was already five or six in the afternoon and there was still no sign of the event ending. While Zhai Da was lost in thought, his phone vibrated slightly.

Zhai Da, who was getting a little bored, took out his phone and glanced at it. It was from someone at Phoenix Media who sent him a sample copy of "The Story of Dongyang".

Publication is scheduled for the latter half of this month.

Zhai Da yawned, crossed his legs, and propped his face up with one hand.

He previously remarked that 09 was a fruitful year for everyone.

But now it seems that the two girls will be the ones to come out on top.

Are they the "Goddess of Chinese Literature at Peking University" and the "Mathematical Genius Girl from Harbin Institute of Technology"?
Although they are from unrelated fields and not very comparable, it is estimated that it will be difficult for any other person of the same age to surpass their fame in the first half of the year.

When spring flowers bring news, their names will spread throughout the country.
Zhai Da thought slyly: Oh dear, as the man behind the two of them, what if he gets exposed?
What should we do?!

　This book will not use overly long and complicated technical terms, but I did do my research.

　　Furthermore, the "Sensitivity Conjecture" in the original timeline was proven in six pages, ten years later.

　　There is no exaggeration, no abstraction.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)