Who was the REAL Good Will Hunting? - Numberphile
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- Опубликовано: 7 мар 2013
- George Dantzig, William Sidis, Srinivasa Ramanujan? Who was the real Good Will Hunting?
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Maths in Good Will Hunting: • The problem in Good Wi...
This video features Numberphile's very own mathematics superstar - Dr James Grime.
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Always loved that movie. I remember working on some trivial model theory problem in grad school, I had the answer, something like a 4 line proof and a diagram. Piece of cake. I knew quite a lot about model theory, so I used that knowledge and tossed off my proof.
Only one other guy had a proof. Mine was obviously right and the prof said "yep, that's right". This other guy, who had very little exposure to logic and model theory, man his page was a mess. He had managed to fill an entire page with some wacky combinatorial reasoning. The prof and I kinda looked at each other and initially said, "I dunno...this is going in a pretty weird direction". As the student started explaining himself, we began to listen.
Turned out that the kid was right. He had come up with the most difficult way imaginable of solving the problem. Not elegant, not pretty at all, but, I'll be damned, it was right. I realized right then, *I'm not all that smart, I've just read a lot of books*, cuz this kid was light years beyond me talent-wise. And that's how web designers like me are born! Hehe.
Yeah Jørgen, I'm not sure what Nobel had against math...maybe it doesn't have the same "real world impact" that physics does?
Inaccessible Cardinal very nice read. thnx
Michael Bauers Hehe, because mathematicians are suuuuuper pimp daddies.
Inaccessible Cardinal Try doing physics without math. I respect both disciplines, but how much impact would physics make without math to express it?
and that is why people either love maths like they love their mothers, or more than that
Math Damon?
Math Demon!
Maaat Damon!!!!
Nice
He majored in ENGLISH and did not graduate... so much for his "genius."
Matt Daaaaamn hun?
Nooooo that's where you cut off the Hardy quote? But the *very next sentence* is: "On the other hand he would have been less of a Ramanujan, and more of a European professor, and the loss might have been greater than the gain."
Great video, obviously >.
Ramanujan as he was makes a great story.
Inspiring story.
Would you however change Riemann's 500 pages or Grothendieck's tens of thousands of pages for a Ramanujan formula?
I would not.
It's because Hardy himself, later on, dismisses his own statement as "quite ridiculous sentimentalism" and says "There was *no gain at all* when the College at Kumbakonam rejected the one
great man they had ever possessed, and the loss was irreparable; it is the worst instance that I know of the damage that can be done by an inefficient and inelastic educational system."
@@svchostexe-sp7ue gtfo svchost.exe I hate you.
Keeps eating my battery -_-
i would love to just spend a day with this guy, just to listen to all of the things he loves about math, including mathematicians and his favourite concepts. the way he talks just has such an inspirational feeling to it :P
Rich Kni camera is kind to him...and he talks our language to be sure. Great friendly presence smothered in enthusiasm.
Same
I m his fan
Try an hour then you might reconsider.
You're wrong.
The person who came up with the pigeon wallpaper is the REAL genius in this story :)
The Smith's a reference to tesla maybe?
You can thank Sir John Pigeon, the founder of Pigeon Wallpapers for that.
Why??Its so ugly🙄🙄😣
Chrysi Chrysi r/wooosh
@@theprince3326 whatever that means....
If only math teachers could show the interest and passion for the subject as this guy does. Honestly, I've always been afraid of maths, but he had me fascinated. A true inspiration...
In America, schools are indoctrination centers. They don't want you knowing math, They want you obedient and ignorant. Wear your mask, take the jab and stfu.
My high school math teacher was a "true inspiration" to me and hopefully many others. I went on to study math because of him. I wrote a story about his inspiration for my grandkids which was later read at his eulogy. No other math teach of mine ever came close to him.
Loving physics but uninterested in math....that's like loving books but hating to read
+JkITZD This is actually possible
***** Can you talk about it in more detail?
***** About math.
+JkITZD Is it ok to feel the opposite?
I love Maths but hate Physics :/
+JkITZD It is impossible to love physics and hate math. And that is a mathematical certainty :P
Oh shit, that moment when I realized the lecture hall they used (at 3:35) was actually a lecture hall in McLennan Physical Laboratories in University of Toronto! I have lectures in those halls every other day.
#UofTPride
He is so passionate about mathematics, it's inspiring!
I love this series. What a charming narrator-host.
I can't help myself. I am not a genious, I am about average IQ, but looking at and listening to Dr Grime makes me feel I would be in love with mathematics if I saw his both enthusiasm and knowledge as a child. Thank you very much for all numberphille videos. Especially with Dr. Grime.
"maybe you have to have done a PhD to understand how much I hate him right now"
"just stick this and that in there and BAM ph.d done, congratulations Dr."
"You are the shepherd"
Doctor. Doctor.
Doctor. Doctor.
Doctor. Doctor.
Doctor. Doctor.
...and Doctor.
TheHorseFormerlyWithoutAName
LOL Spies Like Us
This dude is apparently better than all the maths teachers combined. He makes mathematics sound interesting !!!
I think that's passion.
True
I had a math instructor in college who had been a mathematician for Siemens in Germany. Showed us a very elegant way to solve quadratic equations. Years later in my physics class, you think I could recall the method? Of course not.
@@PlasmaCoolantLeak i think that's mostly on you to not practice the elegant method regularly and forgetting it when suddenly asked to recall it years later though.
It's hilarious how he said the "I hate him so much right now" part, definitely can relate (IT"S SO HARD) but also love the integrity of that professor, he really stayed true to acknowledge the student's contribution to science
Thank you for these videos Numberphile. It's channels like yours that make education interesting and it is truly an engaging experience to view them.
well i failed my collage math high school math exam, re-did it and barely passed that being said im horrible at math. But i have a great appreciation for the subject and my father is 10 times the mathematician (being a geo techincian) that ill ever be, much to his disappointment i bet.
I remember seeing this film and one day hoping i could be the will hunting to my dad. but i never had the mind for it neither the patience. i'm very happy that there are so many people being able to understand and appreciate maths who maybe be able to bring a brighter tommorow
+MrBoosterfy So will you
+MrBoosterfy My entire life I've struggled with maths, I recently just passed my first calculus class. And I couldn't ever be happier. You just gotta keep you head down and keep at it :)
MrBoosterfy I cried reading ;_;
if a man at 70 could become the greatest alchemist of the islamic era, and he was a shephard i think you ought to stand a better chance
Thanks for sharing this story James, as a math teacher I love hearing the true stories behind things like this.
The George Dantzig homework story is extraordinarily similar one about Stephen Hawking, told by his Oxford math professor. While his dormitory mates worked all week to solve just a few of 13 problems, Hawking drank his way through a crate of beer, uninterested in the homework or school. Hawking started the homework the morning of the day the assignment was due. Later, as class time approached, his dorm mates waited for Hawking to come downstairs. One of his mates asked Hawking how he'd done on the homework. Hawking replied that he'd only gotten the first eleven done (only because he'd run out of time). In typical Oxford form, the professor met with students individually to discuss their work. The professor was obviously impressed, yet noted that Hawking seemed completely indifferent. As Hawking left the professor's office he tossed the homework in the waste basket. His professor commented "Anyone else would have framed it." This was before Hawking was diagnosed with ALS. He would later credit ALS for focusing his attention on doing something meaningful with his life, not knowing if he had months or years to live.
An even closer match is John Milnor, who mistook the unproved Borsuk Conjecture as a homework problem and solved it. He was 18, and eventually won the Fields Medal.
I’m going to start a PhD pretty soon. Stumbling into a publishable discovery that you figure out in one night would make any academic cry tears of joy, and watching it happen to someone else you get green with envy.
There's a film about Ramanujan too, named, "The Man Who Knew Infinity" ! Amazing movie
About your PHD I would say it's not your fault.
This is my first video watching your channel. I have to say that the way you smile tells me you like what you're doing.
This is my first time seeing a numberphile video, I'm sure (based on some comments) that this is not their typical type of video, but I really like the way it is made and how good of a speaker this guy is. It really caught my interest the whole way through.
nice to see that scientists can be fun relaxed people enjoying their game and not taking things tooooo seriously. respect
More and more so as the years go on it seems.
go to the playlists of this channel, and find one called Cliff Stoll
thank you! please do the proper video on Srinivasa Ramanujan - stuff he was coming up with was truly amazing and unbelievable.
What a surprisingly enjoyable vlog.. wow! This was the most enjoyable 9 minutes I've spent in a very long time. Thank you for your easy friendly teaching manor and making math fun and interesting.
*manner
One of my favourite channels talking about my favourite movie. Thank you
I'm a huge fan of this channel in general and James in particular. If he'd been my maths teacher at school I might just have passed my A Level. Making up for a wasted 6th year now with my new best friend, Numberphile!
well, we're happy about that!
2nd
Numberphile true
Lol why r the replies so new ?😅
Obsessed with maths and this series is a great way to explain to others why maths is so fascinating. Cheers!
More reason why Goodwill Hunting is such a good film. At the heart, there is enormous amount of research and a real "will" if you may to understand the characters and why they behave that way. Such films never go out of style primarily because they can connect to every person.
One of my favourite movies. I was never a fan of Damon or Affleck or Williams. This is truly worth the watch.
As a Science teacher, I always tell my students that of all of the subjects, Mathematics is the most important. Mathmaticians' logic processing is peerless and what they can do is mind boggling.
aubsdaddy I've only ever come across sacred geometry in photography. Kind of linked to the golden ratio, as well. I don't know much about it, though. Sorry.
+aubsdaddy Sacred geometry is just symbols that have been found on very old ancient structures and designs. Look up the flower of life, seed of life.
Chromic-6 Appeal to authority is only a fallacy when the person you are appealing to is not an actual authority. It is not a fallacy if the appeal is to an actual authority, such as appealing to Einstein in a discussion about general relativity.
Red Ace No, that's the fallacy, he's an expert on the field but not a authority. The point of the fallacy is that no one is an autority about knowledge.
Chromic-6 Wrong. The appeal to authority fallacy is not meant to be used to dismiss the claims of experts or scientific consensus.
had some sound issues that day! sorry!
1st
Thank You for explaining some of the back stories from the movie. It's refreshing to see that a Dr. of Mathematics , like yourself, is just a regular person like myself or anyone else. I also agree that if I was influenced at a young age to enjoy math, instead of tolerate it, I may be better at it now as an adult. It is ironic though, as a youth I hated math, but now as a Tool & Die Maker, use it daily in my work. Thank You again.
Brady, thanks again for doing these videos!
an engineer can take a set of instructions and make a stable working device, physics and chem do prototypes but maths combines extremes of practical fantasy and potential mechanism to change how thinking is done. Everyone needs everyone else.
I just love his enthusiasm. Been watching these videos for two hours and now my eyes hurt because I had to go to sleep two hours ago. Damn math is interesting!
I really enjoy the enthusiasm of the host here in this video. Thanks so much for sharing.
The film "The Man Who Knew Infinity" starring Dev Patel was based on Srinivasa Ramanujan
In my student days we had a prof that was fond of slipping unsolved problems into our assignments. During my time there one of the other students did solve one of those problems.
sexntuna He cant answer that, it never happened.
@@thesteamedham8993 Actually it did - mid 70's - student was an undergrad taking a third year algebra course
@@samadams1408 details
the pigeon wallpaper is distracting me and i keep replaying bits of the video
for me its how the lighting generally keeps his right pupil small and left huge
+alexander mathieson i sure did after i got over the wallpaper
For me it was the super close-up. Not a problem though, I usually look at other things while listening to YT videos anyway.
ADD?
I love the wallpaper!
This is great to see, some real life Good Will Hunting types, it sort of reinforces one's beliefs in what is possible and inspires one towards great and noble pursuits/ends.
Awesome video! I watched the whole thing. Thanks for that!
I don't know how I got here but I like it
Why have a fatass as your profile picture? Especially a weak minded journalist of all things when we are discussing real sciences.
John Waas Weak minded? You can say a lot of things about Christopher Hitchens but being weak minded sure isn't one of them.
lol that's how I feel about being born.
Bala
Nice set of mathematical stories. The story about George Danzig is best told in his own account, found in the book Mathematical People. Ramanujan learned his maths, before studying under Hardy at Cambridge, from a synopsis of theorems by Carr. Hardy described the book as not extraordinary, but I have a copy and the book is well organized, interesting, and inspiring. The book is loaded with great inspiring theorems. It is a great book. Upon receipt of Ramanujan's first letter with many stunning theorems, Hardy commented that it couldn't have come from a crackpot and many of the theorems must be true because nobody would have the imagination to dream up such formulations and theorems. George Polya describes (in his book, as I recall entitled The George Polya Picture Book) the one student he had that truely scared him. It was Jon (John) von Neumann. Von Neumann was a student in Polya's course, presumably a number theory course at Gottingen, and Polya went on to described an unproven theorem, commenting that it was probably very difficult to prove. Von Neumann then raised his hand and asked to go to the blackboard, whereupon he rigorously proved the theorem. Polya stated that he was thereafter afraid of the young von Neumann.
I think this is my favorite Numberphile video. Even tho it has very little to do with actual maths, but I just like the ending about the regular people with regular jobs. Also I love the music :)
This is really fascinating. I love stories of extraordinary people.
I think that Ramanujan mind was one of the greatest misteries of XX century.
As a side note the soundtrack in the movie is by Elliott Smith ("Between the Bars", "Angeles", "No Name #3", "Say Yes" and "Miss Misery") and there are some similarities to Will in the movie. Elliott Smith was a musical genius, arguably one of the greatest acoustic guitar composers, players and arrangers of all time.
Love this summation so much
I'm one of the worst students in my math class in germany, but damn I love this channel.
It made me rise some interest in maths (which I could never even think of 1 year ago). Thanks for showing us how beautiful maths can be!
My father did his PhD from Russia. He said in Russia there is a degree higher than phD called Doctor of Science. That that is almost impossible to get as thesis requirements are too much for that. So when my father was waiting for professors to call him to defend his thesis there was a person before him who was called in. And usually a thesis defence took maximum one hour but that man had been in for 1.5 hours and hadn't cone out. Everyone in room thought he wont make it. But when he came out he was awarded Doctor of science instead of PhD. His thesis was over the top.
It's very good - I still enjoy it!
Despite being written in the completely wrong time-frame, this comment was shockingly referring to Game of Thrones Season 8. Repulsive
Great stuff! Keep it coming!
What an excellent video! Watched it in full.
cheers!
1st
24 is not as old as it feels. I didn't start college until I was 28, I am now working on my masters. I read about a lady that went and got her MD in her 60's. never give up because you feel like it is "to late".
Where are you 8 years later?
@@someperson9052 probably raising kids, taking them to Little League, drinking beer, and watching the Patriot's play on Sunday like the rest of us.
Thank you for sharing. Very interesting addition to the movie.
I've seen the movie over a dozen times, mostly at workshops about the therapeutic process. The psychotherapy between Will and Robin William's character is awesome.
Smart people agree that something is impossible - then a student comes along, who doesn't know it's impossible, and does just that.
2+2= 22
input = {2, 2}
return toNumber(toString(input[0])+toString(input[1]))
returns 22 :)
what language is that?
Lua
English.
lua starts counting with index 1 and also you don't need type conversions. hail the mighty table.
Ahhh listening to this guy is so entertaining. I feel like I could listen to him talk about anything.
Great video! Specially the part of "we are all humans". Really inspiring. Thanks for this.
excellent video. Gave greater depth to a character I thought I already understood fairly well. I really empathise with the professor in this movie, the jealousy and awe, respect frustration he experiences all at once. You gave a little more nuance.
What do you think is driving that belief that maths is a 'young man's game'? is it simply age? or is it something more?
I think it's mainly for two reasons: The brain slows down with time and the synapses you form at a certain point limits your ability to think "outside the Box."
I had always assumed Will was based mostly on Sidis, due to his extensive knowledge of American History and all of the psychological counselling, it was great to learn more about the mathematicians that Will was based on.
"was based on" Might be based on / inspired by.
Very interesting, thank you for sharing.
welcome... hope you watch more!
1st
Srinivasan Ramanujan - the great mathematician from India especially Tamilnadu (Kanchipuram)
And I feel so proud that I also from the same place.
@Prat667 . Of course, Why not?
😄
alankey86 made it for us - it is just a Good WIll Hunting inspired composition! check his channel.
1st
Great vid, great channel, going to have to subscribe now for mathematical knowledge of the universe.
This is the greatest compliment I could've received!
unfortunately the content comes with the cameraman, as he asks all the questions (including more important ones you don't hear), decides what to make films about and how to edit them... he decides the CONTENT... what goes in and what stays out
it's like telling your partner "I like your personality but not your face!" - the two come together! :)
I don't know what you just said but I will act like I understood it
@@Incepter. It's from 10 years ago, so it was probably a response to a mean comment that was later deleted
and now there's a movie about ramanujan
Thanks for your passion
Fascinating bit of history. Thank you. I recommend that you put an EQ cut at around 300mHz when the voice of the interviewer (chap behind the camera) speaks. This will help eliminate the noticeable hum which abruptly dominates the audio track.
That shocked professor sounds really funny when James said it, I can really imagine him speaking like that one morning
To the student 😂
The man who knew infinity is the movie made about Ramanujan's life
The Fields Medal and the Abel Prize are the top 2 math prizes available. I really like the Fields Medal because the mathematician behind it was a Canadian, and it emphasizes contributions done in the prime of one's mathematical career - namely why the prize is only awarded to those under the age of 40 - rather than like the Nobel Prize which is usually awarded long after a discovery or realization and almost at a point where such knowledge would be considered a little out of fashion.
Didn't know the film but now I am going to watch it! Nice vid, thanks :)
I'll never understand why there's a Nobel Prize for literature but not maths
Maybe because there is already a Nobel Prize for Physics and Physics is like thoerical maths or an explanation to maths.
Just like in the movie, it's The Fields Medal. Among mathematicians, it's the Nobel Prize of math.
@@iambiggus I know...? But that doesn't answer anything.
Grigori Perelman is the reverse Will Hunting
Dr. James Grime is a very likeable person, brains and a sense of humour. Rare combo. Lots of professors I had dealings with took themselves far too serioulsy.
And no more 'me' posts - your videos are a lot of fun. I love people who love what they do. They make everything - even the otherwise uninteresting to me - interesting. Appreciate your passion.
What interests me about the Will Hunting character is that he is an autodidact.
I just taught myself what that means
@@asktheetruscans9857 😄😄😄😉
It's different than that, more like a perpetual student - he learns from everything he sees... it's not as if he grew up in a log cabin like President Lincoln and read books to himself by firelight, right?
A kid like Hunting would be a non-stop (prolific) learner, but unlike a self-taught student (ie: Lincoln), he can't necessarily turn it off and it's not about knowing like the Harvard student in the bar - it's more about understanding beyond just knowing. Otherwise you're relegated to only know what you already know - people with understanding as a goal, can often even know things they've never learned prior... like the organic chemistry scene, right?
If we only seek knowledge and not understanding, then the smartest person in the room just becomes whoever knows the most... like the Harvard bar scene kid or the classroom scene. We live in times when the knowledge requirement might be the highest ever in history - but we're also living in an age where the understanding of what we know could be at an all time low.
How can there be a mathematician who is the basis of the story if in the original story the character was a physicist?
Talking about movies, there is a nice one on Ramanujan called The Man who knew Infinity ;)
Nice interview..!!!
That wallpaper is amazing.
Please talk about my favorite maths film ever 'A beautiful mind'
I like how he summed it up there at the end.
James Grime is my favorite guy on the channel. He makes me like math more just by talking.
The William Sidis story- of him ending up doing odd jobs- reminded me of Charles Bukowskie. They might not have been similar on a cerebral level, but both seem to have been pretty talented in their respected fields math in Sidis' case, and creative writing in Bukowskie's. Goes on to show that even the smartest and most talented of us need a healthy dose of compassion and empathy from others and need to feel 'at home' in the world; otherwise they can scatter their gifts around and live bitter lives.
I enjoy the DeepSky, SixtySymbols and Numberphile videos very very much and I would like to thank Dr.Grime for all his efforts towards making difficult concepts available to us. Without any disrespect intended, I would like to inform viewers that Srinivasa Ramanujan's name is pronounced Raa-Maa-Nujan and not Rama-Noo-Jan. He's an extremely respected and important figure in India's mathematical history and I think it's only fair that people should be informed on how to pronounce his name correctly alongside all those other great names mentioned. Thank you.
Dude.. no need to get offended for the 'mispronunciation' of a name. We Indians don't always pronounce an English, French, German or a Russian name correctly every single time either. So chill.
Do you pronounce Kurt Gödel's name correctly? Probably not. So… you should choose another hill to die on.
BTW, there is (or will be soon) a new really awesome movie about Ramanujan!
Look it up!
great video!
What about James Croll as the inspiration for Will Hunting?
While working as a JANITOR at a UNIVERSITY Croll published scientific papers on climate change. The fact that a JANITOR had published these incredibly insightful scientific papers came as a major culture shock to the scientific establishment of Britain, leading Croll into friendships with notable scientists of the day including Charles Darwin and Charles Lyell.
the weirdest thing is that this video helped me write my essay
This is a wonderful video.
You had me at 0:45
Such sheer delight