Teenager
solves Newton's riddle
Bojan Pancevski
AN INDIAN-BORN teenager has won a research award for solving a
mathematical problem first posed by Sir Isaac Newton more than 300
years ago that has baffled mathematicians ever since.
The solution devised by Shouryya Ray, 16, makes it possible
to calculate exactly the path of a projectile under gravity and
subject to air resistance.
Shouryya, who lives in Dresden, eastern Germany, came up
with the solutions to this and a second mathematical riddle while
working on a school project.
He is being hailed as a genius in the German press, but
attributes his achievement to "curiosity and schoolboy
naivety".
"When it was explained to us that the problems had no
solutions, I thought to myself: well, there's no harm in trying,"
he said.
The problems he resolved are from the field of dynamics. The
first, dealing with the movement of projectiles through the air,
was posed by Newton in the 17th century. The second, which relates
to the collision of a body with a wall, was posed in the 19th
century.
Only partial solutions had been discovered up to now,
requiring simplified assumptions or calculations by computer.
Shouryya's elegant solutions could contribute to greater precision
in fields such as ballistics.
Shouryya's family moved to Germany when he was 12 after his
father Subhashis Ray, an engineer, got a job at a technical
college. Shouryya spoke no German when he arrived but has mastered
the language and is due to take the German equivalent of A-levels
this week, two years ahead of his peers.
"Ray's accomplishment is impressive and we are particularly
proud of his background as it highlights the achievements of
migrants across language and cultural barriers," said the Youth
Research Foundation, which gave him the award.
A keen cricketer, Shouryya cites his father as his
inspiration and says he instilled a "hunger for mathematics" after
teaching him calculus at the age of six.
Subhashis Ray said he was no longer able to keep up with his
son's mathematical prowess, however. "He never discussed his
project with me before it was finished and the mathematics he used
are far beyond my reach," he said.
The Sunday Times UK, 27.05.12, Pg 29
P.S : The equation which Shouryya Ray displayed on the
news photo :
can some math pro please explain to me what the problem was and
how he solved it?
