* This article is reprinted with permission from the official account People's Posts and Telecommunications Publishing House
Actions are impermanent, but life is eternal, and Gang jie wants to use his eternal life to draw the source of mathematics infinity.
--Mathematician Masahito Takase
On November 3, 1960, mathematician Oka was awarded the Order of Culture of the Emperor of Japan.
At the press conference, a reporter asked him: "What kind of impact do you think your mathematical theory will have on the world?" ”
Gang Jie replied, "Oh is oh." Viola only needs to bloom like a flower. (Note: Viola, a blue flower)
The reporters present were confused.
His wife Michi explained with a smile:
"I don't care at all about anything other than my own blooming," and the "thing" that has affected the world has never been thought of. The same goes for my husband's math, he's just focused on research. This accumulated over time, and occasionally the heavens would take care of him, so he finally came here.
Gang Jie took off the medal and put it around his wife's neck, took her hand and said, "Michi, I will be with you in the next life." ”
A clip from the Japanese drama "Cultivating a Genius's Wife"
Gang Jieqi: Archimedes of Japan
Born in 1901, Oka is one of Japan's most famous mathematicians.
He made outstanding contributions to the development of mathematics in the world because he overcame the three major problems in the "theory of multi-complex functions", and won the top awards in Japan's scientific and cultural circles, such as the Nihon Academy Award, the Asahi Culture Award, and the Emperor's Cultural Medal.
Note: The Emperor's Order of Culture is a medal awarded by Japan to those who have made significant contributions to the development and promotion of science, technology, art and culture. The award ceremony is held on November 3 of each year on the Cultural Day at the Imperial Palace "Matsumama", and is awarded by the Emperor himself.
But this mathematician has been a bit "strange" since he was a child:
When he was in junior high school, he did not like to go to school, and every day before going to class, he walked to the intersection of Jizo Zun, threw a stone at Jizo, and only went to class when he was in the middle, and then he went back home;
In high school, because he wanted to see what the consequences of not brushing his teeth, he simply did not brush his teeth for three years;
During the debate, he thought that the other party was biased and directly interrupted, "You are saying that the direction is not right!" The crowd was stunned with curiosity, and he pointed to the back of his finger and said, "That's the right direction." ”
After graduating from high school, he coveted being close to home and chose Kyoto Imperial University, where he stayed on to teach. Since then, he has devoted his life to the study of mathematics and has shown extraordinary talent.
In his own words: "It wasn't until I graduated from college that I showed my mathematical literacy again. ”
He was obsessed with mathematics and produced many anecdotes, which were talked about, and some were even borrowed from movie plots, thus being called "The Archimedes of Japan." ”
Ruined, just for math
Gang Jie is not afraid of hardships, even if life is difficult, she has never given up the pursuit of mathematics.
He unraveled professor Bian Kai's book "Multi-complex Mathematical Function Theory" and buried his research in order to extend his research results to the field of algebra.
At that time, many mathematicians in the world were eager to try this problem, but they could not solve it.
Gang Jie devoted herself to this, and was once very economically embarrassed, and even in desperation, she sold the family's land and property, and a family of five (Gang Jie and his wife Michi had three children) squeezed into a small warehouse rented in the countryside and lived all day by eating yam.
In March 1951, he was recognized by the Academy for his work on "polyvariate function theory," when the family sat huddled on a wooden bed in the storeroom and celebrated with a few slices of toast.
He was later awarded the Order of Culture by the Emperor of Japan, personally awarded by Emperor Showa. After the award, the Emperor asked him, "How do you make your math?" Unconsciously, he replied, "I made it myself by burning." ”
Wear leather shoes only once in your life
Gang Jie wears a pair of rain boots all year round, whether it is on a sunny or rainy day. The only time he wore leather shoes was at a ceremony in 1960 when he was awarded the Order of Culture.
He has his own set of "rain shoe theories":
"Because the soles of the shoes are rubber, walking does not shock my head, so it is convenient for me to think better."
He kept thinking in his head, once he thought about it, with mathematical inspiration, whether he was in a hurry or walking, he would stop immediately, or even crouch on the side of the road, pick up stones, sticks, etc. to write complex mathematical formulas, and sometimes even crouch on the side of the road for an hour or two.
The bridge section of Dr. Yukawa's on-the-spot calculus in the Japanese drama "Detective Galileo" is exactly from these real life scenes of Gang Jie.
Nobel laureate in physics Hideki Yukawa wrote about his impressions of Okachi in his autobiography The Traveler:
The teacher who served in our calculus drill class was Gan Jie. He was my eldest brother Fang Shu in the same window of the three highs. I've heard of him before. It is said that he is an incredible talent, that is, he has a super memory and genius reasoning ability. But he didn't dress like a college teacher; the suit often had a dirty towel hanging around his waist, much like a three-tall cheerleader.
The Beauty of Mathematics: The Joy of Discovery
Gang Jie said that learning mathematics is a pleasure for him, and this pleasure is the "joy of discovery."
When he encountered mathematical problems, he went to read Dostoevsky's "Idiot", he said: "After reading a certain page, it seems to have completely entered a dead end, but on the next page, a whole new path is unfolded." ”
Like Dostoevsky on literature, Gunge had a "fierce attachment" to mathematics. Whenever he is dominated by this emotion, he will make a great mathematical discovery, and this has happened more than once.
In January 1925, after returning from studying in France, Gang Jie decided to concentrate on multivariate analysis function theory.
At that time, he was working at the Hiroshima College of Arts and Sciences, and the literature in the school was very limited, and he could only rely on limited materials to conduct research first. Two months later, he discovered three central problems with the theory.
For the next three months, he tried everything he could, but made no progress. Until he was invited by his friend Nakatani to hokkaido University.
There, he often slept and thought on the couch in the reception room, which was jokingly called "drowsy encephalitis" by his colleagues.
"One day, I had breakfast at Nakatani's house and sat on the couch in a daze. Suddenly the mind tends in one direction, and the content of the study becomes clearly visible. After two and a half hours, the way to deal with the problem was clear. Although it took two and a half hours, the solution was only between the two sides. I was overjoyed and had no doubt about the veracity of this discovery. I have experienced the joy of this discovery several times in my life, but this is the first time I have felt such a joy. ”
The person who took this "joy of discovery" to the extreme was Archimedes. He once shouted "I know" as he jumped out of the bathtub and ran out naked.
Gang Jie said in his collection of essays, Ten Words of Spring Night:
"Mathematical discoveries must be accompanied by joy. This joy is like the mood when you plan to go out to catch butterflies, push the door and find beautiful butterflies parked on the branches."
Mathematician's Love: Cultivating a Genius Wife
Gang Jie became a great mathematician, in addition to his own "talent" and tireless research, but also inseparable from the support of his family, whether it is spiritual, emotional, and even material, especially his wife Michi.
In 2018, the 40th anniversary of Oka's death, Japan's Yomiuri Television filmed and produced the TV series "Cultivating a Talented Wife: The World's Recognized Mathematician and His Wife's Love", which tells the story of Oka's relationship with his wife Michi.
Michi is not only Oka's lifelong companion, it can be said that without his wife Michi, there would be no mathematical achievements after Oka-kai.
Oka's encounter with Michi begins with the observation of lightning. Because of the discussion of Thor, Michi said to the young Oka, "It is interesting to imagine that there is nothing that is not there." ”
This heartless witticism touched Gang Jie's heart and made Gang Jie like this girl.
He told Michi that everything in the world is related to mathematical equations, including the movement of water, the surge of clouds, and the direction of the wind. ”
Meizhi, who likes new things, is attracted by Gang Jie's unusual temperament, and the two have a heart-to-heart impression and enter the marriage hall.
After marriage, Michi fully supported her husband's mathematical research.
In 1925, after returning from studying in France, Gang Jie was assigned to teach at Hiroshima University due to disagreements with his superiors at Imperial University. At that time, their first child was born, and Gang Jie's mathematical research entered a critical period.
They live on a tight budget in Hiroshima, and in order to keep her husband focused on his research, Michi secretly sells his clothes to supplement the family.
Their second child was born, just as war broke out in Japan, their lives became more difficult. Michi followed Oka Toshi to live in a rented warehouse, but always worked hard and took good care of his and his children's lives, creating conditions for Oka to concentrate on research.
It can be said that without Michi, there would be no mathematician Gang Jie.
The Enlightened Man: The World Beyond mathematical study
In addition to his remarkable achievements in mathematics, Gang Jie has achieved great achievements in literature, art, and educational thought, and has his own unique views.
In his later years, he had a good relationship with Hu Lan, who called him "an enlightened man, a genius among geniuses."
Hu Lancheng said in his collection, "An enlightened person like Gang Jie can naturally open up all kinds of learning. ”
Gang Jie and Hu Lancheng
He was highly literate, especially with the literary works of Natsume Soseki and Ryunosuke Wasagawa and the haiku of Basho, and he also spent some time studying the remarks of Zen master Michimoto.
He is very emotional, responsive and very well written.
His book "Spring Grass" was rated by Hu Lancheng as "the highest contemporary article".
He had conversations with japanese figures such as Shintaro Ishihara (winner of the Wasagawa Prize and a former member of the House of Councillors), Sima Liaotaro (Naoki Prize winner, the deceased japanese historical novelist today), Anda Yasushi Inoue (winner of the Wasagawa Prize, who passed by the Nobel Prize in Literature), and so on, and they all made each other feel admired.
Gang Jie's articles include "Ten Words of Spring Night", "Purple Spark", "Wind Orchid", "Spring Wind and Summer Rain", "Moon Shadow", "Spring Cloud", "Ichiba Boat", "Testament to the Showa Period", "The Japanese Nation", "The Garden of the Gods" and so on.
This year, his essay collection "Ten Words of Spring Night" Chinese edition of "Ten Words of Spring Night" was finally published and listed, meeting Chinese readers.
The first edition of this book in Japan was published in 1963, the book condensed Gangjie's thinking on mathematics, education, literature and art, from the perspective of "emotion and mind", explored the deep problems in the compulsory education of cognitive development, put forward the views of "emotional education" and "emotional cognition", which had a profound impact on generations of Japanese people, and provided a pure and intuitive new thinking for understanding mathematics, Japanese nationality and even "people" itself.
The book talks about the relationship between mathematics and art, and Gang Jie believes that mathematics pursues inner harmony, and art pursues harmony between beauty and China.
The two are identical in the pursuit of harmony, and in the pursuit of harmony, emotions are also at play. Art looks at the past through review, and mathematics looks at the future through review, which is the fundamental difference between truth and beauty.
In addition to comforting one's own soul, art can also give oneself courage. Works like Dostoevsky's "The Idiot" and "The Brothers Karamazov" greatly inspired him when he faced difficulties.
Mr. Arama Lang, former president of the University of Tokyo, said this when recommending "Ten Words of Spring Night" to the world:
In the book, Mr. Oka's reflections on mathematics, his examination of educational methods, and his criticism of the Japanese world still have the power to wake up to the present. Experts in the work of the hand, how fast to read, such as Mr. Gang Jie's book. Physicists Hideki Yukawa and Shinichiro Asahina, who won the Nobel Prize in physics, and Kunihiko Kodaira, a mathematician who won the Fields Medal and the Medal of Culture, can also have a refreshing pleasure in reading about fields outside of their majors, such as educational theory. ”
"Ten Words of Spring Night" has a wide influence in Japan. Readers commented:
Mr. Oka's "Ten Words of Spring Night" and "Spring Wind and Summer Rain" and other books have been famous books in the field of science in Japan more than 40 years ago. In particular, the reflections on mathematics in "Ten Words of Spring Night", the discussion of "creativity" and "discovery", and the investigation and suggestions of Japanese education still feel very beneficial to reading. "Mr. Gang Jie is a researcher who has been thinking sincerely all his life. His collection of essays, Ten Words of Spring Night, has reading value that transcends the times. ”
The well-known Japanese actor Yu Aoi was also inspired by "Ten Words of Spring Night":
"Mr. Gang Jie's essays, which look at things from the perspective of the mathematical field he is good at, and conceive the article from the perspective of the overall situation, can make people feel 'the fun of objectively examining from a slightly distant position', make people look at the problem from a different perspective, and be happy for the discovery of 'Ah, I can still think so'. Sometimes from a different perspective, there will always be a way in life. ”
In the early morning of March 1, 1978, Gang Jie died of heart failure at the age of seventy-seven.
Before he died, he often said to people close to him: "I still have not done my math well, and it seems that I can't finish it when I am alive." I want to be well prepared so that I can continue to do it when I go to the other world. ”
"The tragedy and beauty of Gang Jie's life lies in this. Actions are impermanent, but life is eternal, and Gang jie wants to use his eternal life to draw the source of mathematics infinity. This is what Masahito Takase, a mathematician who has followed Oka for many years, commented on him.
Mathematician Yasuo Akizuki says that Gangjie is a singularity in mathematics. It can be said that Gangjie is a lone peak towering over the clouds on the mathematical garden, which is admirable.
For a genius like Gang Jie, we can only look up to the mountain, and his book is worth reading for everyone, whether you love mathematics or not, you can get different inspiration from his book.
Draw on the wisdom of genius
Feel the beauty of mathematics
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"Ten Words of Spring Night"
Author: [Japanese] Gang Jie
Translator: Lin Mingyue
ISBN：9787115492531
Publisher: People's Post and Telecommunications Publishing House Publishing Time: 2019-02
Introduction: We usually think that mathematics is a logical science, but the Japanese mathematician Mr. Oka Jie believes that the most important thing in mathematics is "emotion". Emotions are an important factor in mental and cognitive development, and without cultivating "sound emotions," it is difficult to truly understand what mathematics and creativity are.
From the perspective of "emotions and minds", this book discusses the deep problems in cognitive development and compulsory education, and at the same time expounds the subtle investigation and unique understanding of human nature, which is a classic masterpiece that has influenced generations of Japanese people.
Swipe up to view the table of contents
Chapter 1 Spring Night Ten Episodes 1
Human Emotions and Education 2
Emotions Shape the Mind 5
Memories of Mathematics 8
The Road to Mathematics 12
Stay in France with friends 16
The Joy of Discovery 20
Religion and Mathematics 23
Music Learning 27
Light of Emotion and Intelligence 30
Follow Nature 33
Chapter 2 Emotions and Cognition 37
Japanese with intuitive 38
Japanese Mood 42
The moral education I received 52
Art Education 55
* Things to worry about 59
Physiognomy and Animality 63
Trois-Rivières Accident and Education 65
For the administration of compulsory education, see 68
Written for aspirants who study mathematics 97
Mathematics and Art 104
About Music 108
My favorite artist 110
Literary figures depicting women 115
Chapter 3: Writing and Reminiscence 117
Beauty of Nara 118
Sumo and Baseball 119
Chinese New Year Talk 122
Reverie 125
Chinnakatani Ukichiro 127
Eiji Yoshikawa 129
My Teacher And My Friend 133
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