For centuries, mathematicians had attempted, without success to prove a seemingly simple conjecture in Number Theory, the Twin Prime Conjecture. In Counting from Infinity, Bay Area filmmaker George Csicsery takes a close look at the history of this conjecture and the exceptional—but unlikely—mathematician whose amazing discovery has brought us closer to solving the problem.
This West Coast Premiere will be followed by a discussion between filmmaker George Csicsery and MRSI Director David Eisenbud.
In April 2013, a lecturer at the University of New Hampshire submitted a paper to the Annals of Mathematics; within weeks, word of a stunning mathematical breakthrough spread. Yitang Zhang, a little-known mathematician with no permanent job and working in complete isolation had made an important breakthrough toward solving the Twin Prime Conjecture. Counting from Infinity is a study of Zhang's unexpected and unconventional rise from obscurity and a disadvantaged youth to mathematical celebrity. The story of quiet perseverance amidst adversity, and Zhang's preference for thinking and working in solitude, is interwoven with a history of the Twin Prime Conjecture as told by several mathematicians, many of whom have wrestled with this enormously challenging problem in Number Theory.
Co-presented with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI).
Included with museum admission.
Adults Only (18+)