I remember having this vague idea that what mathematicians did was that some authority, someone, gave them problems to solve, and they just sort of solved them. Terence Tao More Quotes by Terence Tao More Quotes From Terence Tao Education is a complex, multifaceted, and painstaking process, and being gifted does not make this less so. Terence Tao gifted process doe Ultimately you should follow advice not because someone tells you to, but because it was something that you already knew you should be doing. Terence Tao should advice Pointing out that countless great mathematicians had tried to solve the problem and failed before you came along is in particularly bad taste and should be avoided completely. Terence Tao problem taste should ... it can often be profitable to try a technique on a problem even if you know in advance that it cannot possibly solve the problem completely. Terence Tao often-is math trying At a purely formal level, one could call probability theory the study of measure spaces with total measure one, but that would be like calling number theory the study of strings of digits which terminate. Terence Tao probability-theory space numbers Unsolicited surprise requests from strangers are essentially guaranteed to be met with a negative response. Terence Tao surprise stranger negative Volume grows spatially slower than scaling. Terence Tao grows volume I enjoy a good meal, a good vacation, or a good movie, much as anyone else would. Terence Tao good vacation good-movie enjoy One can think of any given axiom system as being like a computer with a certain limited amount of memory or processing power. One could switch to a computer with even more storage, but no matter how large an amount of storage space the computer has, there will still exist some tasks that are beyond its ability. Terence Tao memory think space power Math education has changed over the years. In the 19th century, they taught spherical trigonometry because one of the biggest applications of mathematics was navigating the ocean. This is no longer so relevant. Terence Tao mathematics ocean education years I have been lucky to find very good collaborators who have taught me a lot, have introduced me to several new fields of mathematics, or have shown me new insights. Terence Tao new good me mathematics The standard high school curriculum traditionally has been focused towards physics and engineering. So calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra have always been the most emphasized, and for good reason - these are very important. Terence Tao good high-school important school Can you make fancy patterns of water that actually have some computation power? I'm betting that fluids are complex enough to do this. Terence Tao you power enough water Math research is more like a marathon. Terence Tao more like marathon research Talent is important, but how one develops and nurtures it is even more so. Terence Tao more how talent important Mathematicians are fairly cheap. Terence Tao mathematicians fairly cheap What interests me is the connection between maths and the real world. Terence Tao connection me real world It is very humbling to receive the Fields Medal. The words of a Fields Medallist carry a lot of weight within mathematics - for instance, in framing future directions of research - which means that I have to watch what I say more carefully now! Terence Tao words future mathematics research When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to be a mathematician, but I had no idea what that entailed. Terence Tao up no-idea growing growing-up When you're concentrating hard, hours can fly by, and it's just you and a math problem. Terence Tao fly you hard problem
