The Shouvik Sarkar October 27th, 2014

For any scientist or philosopher, winning the Nobel Prize is an enormous achievement, as this provides the world with the name of a scholar who can be trusted in a specific area of research. However, there is a contradiction in this statement, because mathematicians are scientists, and there is no Nobel Prize for scholars with a high degree of knowledge in math. Can it be true that mathematicians are not regarded as true scientists?

The Nobel Prize is a set of highly prestigious awards bestowed to a people who produce exemplary work for the advancement in culture or science. The winners of the award are chosen by Swedish and Norwegian committees, and the topics of the prizes include Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. In 1968, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics was created to celebrate the work of great economists. Still, there was no mention of a prize for mathematicians. In order to delve deeper into the reasoning behind this surprising shortcoming of the Nobel Prize, one must analyze the myths and facts surrounding the creator of the prize.

The Nobel Prize has roots to a Swedish scientist named Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, owned Bofors, and held over three-hundred fifty patents. When his brother Ludvig died while visiting Cannes, a local newspaper posted Alfred Nobels obituary accidentally. The obituary pointed out that The merchant of death is dead, and went on to say that the man who obtained riches by inventing ways to kill more people faster had died. Ob- viously, Alfred Nobel was utterly confused, and he soon became concerned with the way people would view him after his real death. Alfred truly died in Italy in 1896, and in his last will, he wrote that much of his fortune was to be used to give prizes to those who have done their best for humanity. The honorable fields included physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. The main reason for the addition of peace prize was probably due to the fact that he hired a secretary named Bertha von Sut- tner, who was a famed Australian pacifist and novelist. This was one of the closest relationships Alfred Nobel held throughout his lifetime. The first relationship he had was with a mysterious woman named Alexandra, who apparently rejected Nobels marriage proposal. Alfred Nobels last love in- volved Sophie Hess, and the couple was together for eighteen years. Despite

1 many attempts to start a family, Alfred Nobel never married.

The most famous myth surrounding the inexistence of a math Nobel Prize is that Alfred Nobels fiance or wife had an affair with a mathematician. The name of the mathematician varies depending on the person telling the story, but most storytellers go with Swedish mathematician Gosta Mittag-Leffler. Nobel made it clear in his will that there shall be no prize in mathematics since Leffler would certainly receive the honor. Another proof that a feud existed between Nobel and Leffler is that in his will, Nobel got rid of five percent of his estate money that was going to the University of Stockholm. As Mittag-Leffler was a student at the university, this may be a valid argu- ment. Although this anecdote is quite entertaining, the facts dont add up. Nobel never married, so he couldnt have had a cheating wife. There is no evidence of Alexandra marrying a mathematician, so a grudge developing from this is unlikely. The second woman remained close friends with No- bel, so there is no animosity there. The letters generated between Sophie Hess and Nobel have been analyzed, and there appears to be no signs of an affair. Also, Nobel did not know Leffler, because Nobel was out of the country by the time Leffler was a student. In fact, it is uncertain whether or not the two met at all. Also, it wasnt just the University of Stockholm that was affected by Nobels lack of donation- several other colleges didnt receive any money from the prized scientist. The actual reason why Alfred Nobel didnt create a distinction for mathematicians is simply because he did not care much for the subject. He could see how the other scientific subjects could contribute to mankind, but he failed to see how mathematics could be applied. He did not grasp the practical benefits of advanced math. Another speculation explaining why there is no mathematics Nobel Prize is that there already existed a very minor mathematics distinction (that failed to come to fruition) that was founded by King Oscar II of Sweden with the help of Mittag-Leffler himself.

To substitute for the Nobel Prize, there are three major honors that avid mathematicians can earn. The widely popular one is known as the Fields Medal, which is awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians under the age of forty. The medal is named after late Canadian mathematician John Charles Fields. The medal was first awarded in 1936 and continued to be awarded once every four years after 1950. The prize comes with a monetary sum of 15,000 dollars (CAD), which is far lower than the 1.4 million dollars (CAD) awarded with the Nobel Prize. Another prize given to outstanding mathematicians is the Abel Prize, which is awarded by the King of Norway.

2 The monetary award of the Abel Prize is approximately 1 million dollars (USD), and it was first awarded in 2003. The award honors late Norwe- gian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel (18021829), and one person wins the award every year. The last award recognizing outstanding lifelong achieve- ment in the field of mathematics for mathematicians is the Chern Medal, which is also international and is awarded every four years. Laureates receive a monetary prize of 250,000 dollars (USD), and the ceremony takes place at a varying location every time. Just like the Fields Medal, the Chern Medal is presented by the International Mathematical Union. Another award that is awarded to mathematicians is the Rolf , which is limited to advancement in aspects of computer science. This medal is also awarded every four years. Lastly, there exists the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize for Ap- plications of Mathematics, which honors any work that uses mathematics indirectly. Although all of these medals are noteworthy, the Fields Medal is considered by most to be the true substitute for the Nobel Prize.

References:

[1] http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/10/the-reason-there-is- no-nobel-prize-for-mathematics-had-nothing-to-do-with-any-wifemistress-of- alfred-nobel/

[2] http://www.nobelprize.org

[3] http://www.mathunion.org/general/prizes/

[4] http://www.abelprize.no/c53679/artikkel/vis.html?tid=53709

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