Mathematics Professor Le Quang Nam: Existing with questions

Mathematics is ultimately a product of human imagination, a very interesting illusion.

In June 2024, I met Le Quang Nam in Ho Chi Minh City, remembering that 24 years ago I wrote an article "Le Quang Nam writes with math" published in Tuoi Tre newspaper in 2000. At that time, Nam was a student at Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Sciences (VNU-HCM). He published the book "Searching to learn Math" in the form of a math diary.

Le Quang Nam went to the US to do his PhD at the Courant Institute of Mathematics, and became a professor at Indiana University (USA). On July 14, 2024, he and his colleague Ovidiu Savin (Columbia University, USA) will receive the Frontiers of Science Award from the International Congress of Basic Science held at the Great Hall of the People in China - for articles published in leading journals.

The 24-year journey to become a top math solver is not only for Le Quang Nam to conquer each math problem, but also for the scientist to identify his life purpose and working mindset. Is his view of math still the same as in the beginning? Can he use something other than math to solve math problems?...

Tuoi Tre had an interview with Professor Le Quang Nam on this event.

* Hello, the young man in his twenties has become a 44-year-old mathematician. Having devoted half of his life to mathematics, have you actually found what you were looking for in mathematics?

- When I was in the countryside of Quang Ngai, I only knew about math through the geniuses in books and newspapers and the students who were good at math. I wondered who was 'in between' those two people? My parents wanted me to go to Polytechnic, because math was considered one of the 10 most 'miserable' jobs. But I chose math, because I wondered what math was for if you weren't a genius like Newton?

For a long time, I still could not answer the question: How to make a living with math? Until I received the treatment for math professors at research universities in the US, with high salaries but not much teaching, supporting research, I understood that people will hire good mathematicians to solve new problems, just as life also needs people to inspire.

Article "Le Quang Nam writes literature with math" in Tuoi Tre newspaper in 2000

* And the beauty of mathematics in you is still intact? There are times when you assert that all the work we are doing is an illusion, what does this mean?

- At first, I found math beautiful, but it was hard to quantify its beauty. But over time, I realized that math is ultimately a product of human imagination, a very interesting illusion. I'm not sure if math is real, but people can pay you well to dot it.

Mathematics or any field, only when we ourselves create a difference can we flourish. In research, if we look at the problem to be solved only through conventional techniques, we will only achieve results at a certain level. If we want to go further, we must see something other than the available "menu", and even have to use knowledge from other fields to add.

An example is the solution of Hilbert's 19th problem: An important class of partial differential equations describing equilibrium phenomena in physics can be studied by observing... saddles! Because saddle-like geometric structures also have equilibrium between concave and convex points.

* In your opinion, what qualities are important in research?

- Be romantic but know how to end the problem. Just like a Western meal always ends with each dish, not too much. If you have a good idea but don't know how to write it down or can't finish it, someone else will finish it, and we lose priority.

* Looking back, do you think a person should spend most of his life on just one passion?

- When I came to the US at the age of 24, I set myself a goal that if I didn't discover anything new by the age of 26, I would give up math. While watching the Oscars on TV, actress Salma Hayek on stage said something that touched me personally, which was "everyone needs to tell a story". Her suggestion helped me ask questions about my story. By asking that question, some of the blockages in my research were cleared.

Everyone knows how much time they should devote to a passion. Personally, I don't wonder why I love math.

Born in the countryside, I could not identify rice pests. I could not enter the Polytechnic because I could not draw technical details of machines. I was also color blind and could not distinguish chemicals. I did not understand biology in high school... Math was the most reasonable thing for me. My mother said that when I grew up, I would not have rice to eat, but that was okay. There were many days when I did not eat rice at all and it was still fine.

The important thing is that the field of work is suitable for you. Then, to live long with mathematics, I exist in questions, ask a lot and find a way to end it. I also learned to accept that there are times when researchers cannot do any research, but when you are young, you must definitely overcome certain thresholds in research.

* Was it difficult for you to integrate into the world ? Was foreign language or something else a big barrier?

- Being intimidated by foreign languages ​​is the biggest obstacle, but I don't find it too serious. To fundamentally overcome this, I chose to relearn Vietnamese. I read most of the books on Vietnamese by linguist Nguyen Duc Dan and found it easier to approach foreign languages.

Even when writing in English, people can tell whether they are good or bad at their mother tongue. English intonation also seems a bit like jazz, just emphasize the important words. One thing about material things that can cause great depression for international students is… digestion, adapting to foreign cuisine. That was a serious discovery for me.

Are you asking about discrimination or fairness? There is still discrimination against Asians in multinational environments. But if you keep working hard and consistently, your values ​​will be accepted, even in things you have no control over.

* Honestly, is the level of Vietnamese intellectuals different from the world?

- Limited to the scope of graduating from a domestic university in mathematics and going to Western Europe and the US to do a PhD, I think many years ago the difference was not significant, because the number of people going to school was small, most of them were properly trained.

Recently, the number of young researchers going to Europe and America has increased many times, but the level of education is more different, perhaps due to diversity or because the way mathematics is taught has changed.

* Have you ever "resentfully" received the knowledge you were taught in Vietnam?

- I had a good education. But suppose I had a worse education, I would still consider it a good memory and thinking would be more interesting, because having experienced things that were not as expected, the reflection would be deeper, the feeling of good things would be more valuable.

* You are knowledgeable and passionate about both literature and art. Is your current reading speed satisfactory? Is literature really necessary for math or is it just a hobby?

- I read just over 4,000 pages a year, which is far behind my 10-year-old son. Reading culture in America is nurtured fundamentally. Kindergarteners have 1 hour of library time a week. 4th graders have 2 hours. A child can read over 200 books a year.

Foreign colleagues read literary books in many different versions and can compare them. With a rich knowledge base, people will debate extensively and sharply on many topics, including mathematics.

Many knowledgeable people participated in answering interesting open math questions, as well as contributing their own good questions.

Article about Le Quang Nam's father in Tuoi Tre newspaper in 2001

* Many readers must still remember the father who used to ride a cyclo in Saigon to send him to study Mathematical Gifted. His death was an inconsolable pain for him…

- For a while, I felt really empty. There were many regrets when I chose to go far away from my parents, which was understood as a trade-off when pursuing a passion that my parents always encouraged.

My dad is a great dad. There are differences because of age and personality, but imperfections are inevitable in life, otherwise I wouldn't have the experience to teach my son in a similar situation.

* Thank you, professor.

Content:

TRUONG BAO CHAU

Image:

Youth Documents

June 26, 2024

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mathematics-professor-le-quang-nam-ton-tai-voi-nhung-cau-hoi-20240625083740337.htm