Math Stories: The Moment A Famous Mathematician Woke Up
A lighthearted legend from the academic world!
I tend to read interesting stories from the mathematical world and the academic world quite often. Some of these stories are accounts of real-life events, while others are legends that have grown wings of their own while the details have become somewhat murky.
The story that I am about to tell you belongs to the second category. The exact details of the story might have been fictionalized by those who have been sharing it over the years. But if you have anything to do with or are interested in the mathematical community or the academic world, I reckon that you would find this story relatable.
The Sleeping Mathematician
It is common in the academic world for researchers to share their findings via peer reviews and talks. A young Postdoc, say M, was giving such an impressive talk at a renowned university. The nature of this talk was a special one, for he was sharing his findings on a topological invariant — essentially a formula with over 150 terms (not for the faint of heart)!
Now, the lecture room was densely packed as this was a popular topic within the community. Over at the front row sat a famous mathematician, say C. As soon as M started to go into…
