Study…
Mathematics?
Lu Zhou was confused.
He went silent for a while. He then coughed and said, “Computational materials science is also a type of mathematics…”
“I don’t want to learn computational materials science.” Han Mengqi shook her head stubbornly and said, “I only want to study mathematics.”
She felt like her sentence wasn’t clear, so she quickly added, “I mean, study pure mathematics.”
“Pure mathematics…”
Lu Zhou heard her request and felt a headache.
He normally didn’t want to tell others what to do with their lives…
But…
Lu Zhou put down the pen and laid his hands on the table with his fingers interlocked. He looked at Han Mengqi with a serious expression and asked, “Can you tell me why? You’ve studied computational materials science for three years, why are you suddenly switching to pure mathematics?”
Normally speaking, it was common to see people switch from pure mathematics to applied mathematics fields. However, it was very rare to see people do the reverse.
If it were someone else, Lu Zhou wouldn’t care. But Han Mengqi was his most talented computational materials science student.
Even Jerick, who attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wasn’t as talented as her.
Obviously, Lu Zhou felt a little disappointed she was leaving the computational materials science field.
After all, he spent a lot of effort training her.
Han Mengqi avoided eye contact and hesitated for a bit.
“I don’t like chemistry at all… After choosing chemistry, I already wanted to switch to mathematics. Jin Ling University did that undergraduate student training program, and I had good grades. I was then convinced by the teacher and signed up…”
She felt like this was a horrible reason, and she didn’t even want to continue speaking.
Transfer?
Lu Zhou was astonished.
Oh Jesus, little girl, you’re graduating with a master’s degree, yet you’re still thinking about transferring just because you wanted to transfer when you were 18?
“Transferring is fine, I also transferred to mathematics.” Lu Zhou tried to convince her and said, “The key is if it’s suitable or not…”
“Not suitable or not.” Han Mengqi shook her head and looked at Lu Zhou seriously as she said, “It’s whether I like it or not.”
Lu Zhou looked at her serious face and paused for a second.
Speaking of which, I think this is the first time she has disagreed with me…
Lu Zhou thought back to one of his quotes and sighed. He then repeated that quote.
“You’re right, interest is the best teacher.”
Even if it weren’t for the high tech system, he would still be studying mathematics out of pure interest. That feeling of being immersed in the mathematics world was why he chose mathematics in the first place.
If his best student wanted to study mathematics…
He shouldn’t convince her otherwise.
Even if computational materials science was a better choice for her.
After hearing Lu Zhou’s approval, Han Mengqi’s face lit up. She happily spoke.
“Then I…”
Lu Zhou interrupted Han Mengqi and said, “I won’t stop you, but it’s not easy being my mathematics PhD student… especially when it comes to pure mathematics.”
Han Mengqi bit her lip and spoke with determination.
“No problem… I will work hard.”
“Some things can’t be obtained just by hard work. Mathematics is a discipline that requires talent, especially pure mathematics. There are many people who research mathematics, but very few are able to produce results. Some people spent their entire lives learning what other people have created, and never create anything themselves.”
Lu Zhou took out a piece of draft paper and picked up the pen on his table. He thought for ten seconds and wrote down a line of equations on the paper.
[For any real number s > 1, define ζ (s) = Σ1 / (m ^ s) …]
Han Mengqi looked at the formula and narrowed her eyes.
“This is…?”
It looks simple.
Lu Zhou said, “It’s the Riemann zeta function.”
After that, he wrote down another line.
[… Prove that ζ(2n) is a transcendental number.]
Han Mengqi heard of Riemann before and knew that the problem wasn’t easy. Her voice trembled as she asked, “Are you really going to give me such a difficult assignment already?”
“Don’t think it’s difficult just because it’s Riemann. He’s been dead for more than a century.” Lu Zhou smiled and handed Han Mengqi the piece of paper. He said, “Also, this isn’t an assignment, this is an exam.”
“Exam?”
“Yes.” Lu Zhou nodded and said, “If you can solve this problem, you can study a pure mathematics PhD with me.”
He paused for two seconds before adding another sentence, “Of course, if you want to study computational materials under me, my office doors are always open.”
After all, Lu Zhou was quite satisfied with her paper on topological crystal insulators. If this little girl could stop romanticizing mathematics and return to computational materials, he would certainly welcome her.
Pure mathematics…
Wasn’t an easy field to learn.
Han Mengqi stared at the draft paper, and as she looked at the problem that asked her to prove the transcendental numbers, her head began to spin.
Forget about solving it, she didn’t even understand the question.
When she was studying computational materials science, the mathematical methods she used were mainly in the fields of functional analysis, geometry, and topology. She had never studied analytic number theory before…
However…
She wasn’t going to give up.
Han Mengqi looked up at Lu Zhou and clenched her teeth.
“Don’t expect me to give up… I will start researching now.”
“Of course not, I’m looking forward to your answer.” Lu Zhou smiled and said, “However, you only have two months. I expect an answer by the end of this year.”
“I don’t need two months, one month is enough.”
She picked up the piece of draft paper and left the office.
Once the office door closed, the office returned to quietness again.
Lu Zhou looked at He Changwen, who was sitting at a desk nearby. He Changwen was his pure mathematics PhD student.
“Hey, Changwen, if I asked you to prove that ζ (2n) is a transcendental number, how many different proofs could you come up with?”
He Changwen, who was writing something, hesitated for a second.
“I can think of… one way… Oh wait, no, two ways.”
He Changwen spoke confidently.
Lu Zhou nodded and replied, “Two ways is pretty good.”
He Changwen hesitated for a moment and asked, “Isn’t that question too difficult for a master’s student?”
He couldn’t help but listen to the conversation that happened just now.
For most people who didn’t study mathematics in their undergraduate or master’s years, this problem was indeed quite difficult.
Not only did Han Menqi lack pure mathematics knowledge, but this was also a test of her mathematics thinking abilities. Abstract mathematical thinking wasn’t an easy thing for mathematics students to learn, let alone a layman who had never studied pure mathematics.
Lu Zhou smiled gently.
“PhD students should be able to find problems and find answers themselves.
“If she can come up with the solution herself, that would be great.
“If she can’t, then it means she is not talented in this area. She should think carefully about what she wants to do in the future.”
