rlfj: Blog

There is not a Nobel Prize in Mathematics. Quick report: Alfred Nobel, of dynamite fame, created five prizes in 1901, Chemistry, Physics, Peace, Physiology/Medicine, and Literature. Most of these are handed out by Sweden, except for Peace, which is handed out by Norway. In 1968 a sixth prize was established, for Economics.

There are two math prizes which are considered to be the equivalent of the Nobel for Mathematics. The Fields Medal is awarded every four years to the best mathematicians under the age of 40. The Abel Prize is granted annually and has no age restriction. Both have significant cash awards, much like the Nobels.

There has been a persistent rumor that Nobel never created a prize for Mathematics because a mathematician, Magnus Gösta Mittag-Leffler, was having an affair with his wife. Sounds interesting, but Nobel never married. Another rumor was that the two men simply didn’t like each other, and when Nobel asked his advisers if Mittag-Leffler would win the first prize and was told he probably would, simply declared no math prize. Again, the timing and age of the two men precludes that they ever had any personal relationship. The more mundane explanation is that Nobel was a very practical chemist and simply didn’t think math was important.

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Grim is looking at a very uncertain future. Will he survive? We’ll have to wait and see! Enjoy!

Chapter 14 has Grim contemplating the future. Towards the end, he begins contemplating his lack of a future. We’ll just have to see what happens next. Enjoy!

Lots of things happening in Chapter 13. In the long run the biggest turned out to be 9-11. That was simply one of those days that you never forget. The world changed that day, for better or worse. The closest thing I can compare it to is the attack on Pearl Harbor. My mother commented on that to me, but my father was relatively silent. He ended up serving in the Navy during the war, and I am sure had his own memories. Many of the scenes I write about in that section, the teenagers lining up to enlist and being sent home, students wandering aimlessly around, classes cancelled, and nothing getting accomplished, all happened that day.

And that’s not all that happened in Chapter 13. Much like the rest of the country, Matucket and the students moved on with their lives. Like all of us, they managed to compartmentalize it and keep going. We’ll just have to see how it plays out in the future.

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Nothing like a little football to liven up a Friday night. Grim and Candy Pants have another exciting encounter, long overdue. Enjoy!