The Homeless Mathematician

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Science Story

Topics: Mathematics, Set Theory, Probability

Key personalities: Paul Erdős

Country: Hungary

Time: Mid 20th Century

What makes story captivating?
The story of one of the greatest mathematicians who remained homeless throughout his life.

Story:

Paul Erdos was born in Budapest, Hungary on March 26th, 1913. He showed prodigious talent in mathematics from a very young age, and by the time he was a teenager he had already published several papers. Erdos proved his first major theorem at the age of 17, and went on to become one of the most prolific mathematicians of the 20th century. He made important contributions to many different branches of mathematics, including Ramsey Theory, Set theory, probability theory, geometry, and combinatorics. He also produced a large number of mathematical conjectures, many of which turned out to be correct.

Erdos was known for his brilliance in mathematics, and he published more than 1,500 papers during his lifetime. He was also known for his eccentricities, and he often shocked his colleagues with his unconventional behavior. For example, He often showed up at people's homes without warning, and would sleep on their floors or couches. He also refused to have a permanent home, and spent most of his time traveling from one conference to another.

To Erdos, property was a waste. He had no home and no possessions. His only assets included his two suitcases. He believed that if you could not carry your belongings with you, then you did not really own them. This philosophy likely stemmed from his childhood when he and his family were forced to move multiple times due to World War II. Erdos never married nor had any children, so he did not have any ties to any specific place. He traveled the world, giving lectures and working on mathematical problems. Even though he never owned a home, he was happy living a simple life without material possessions.

Despite his strange habits, Erdos was beloved by his colleagues, and they admired him for his dedication to mathematics. Some of his colleagues say that he was the best mathematician of the 20th century. Others say that his work was too eccentric to be compared to anyone else's. But there's no doubt that Erdos was a genius. He was able to solve problems that other mathematicians couldn't even understand.

Erdos would say "My brain is open" before working on problems for a day or two, then moving on. This allowed him to focus on one problem at a time and come up with new solutions. He was known for his creativity and problem-solving skills, which he developed through his unique approach to mathematics.
He used to work non-stop, almost 19 hours a day, 7 days a week. He was also known to use drugs (amphetamines) and stimulators to keep himself awake. This caused him to have problems with his health later in life.

Erdos remained active as a mathematician until his death in 1996, at the age of 83. Even though Erdos died more than 25 years ago, his work is still being studied by mathematicians all over the world. His ideas have inspired new generations of mathematicians, and his legacy will continue long into the future..

Topics
Mathematics