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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums10 Yr. Old Math genius enrolls in College
It's so interesting. It has the type of maths I love. It's real maths -- theories, complex numbers, all that type of stuff," ... "It was super easy. My mum taught me in a nice way."
"...I want to (finish the course) in two years. Then I'm going to do my PhD in financial maths when I'm 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I'm 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.".
...
"I actually wanted to start when I was seven. But my mum was like, "you're too young, calm down." After three years of begging, mother Efe finally agreed to explore the idea.
NOW BE HONEST - What was your FIRST thought on reading the above and seeing the photo????
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/09/africa/esther-okade-maths-genius/index.html
bemildred
(90,061 posts)peace13
(11,076 posts)I have to admit before I opened this I assumed it was a boy. Great article. My best to this young person and her family! And to myself.......must open mind! : )
ileus
(15,396 posts)and we were pretty happy with that.
Now I'm going to go home and admonish him for being a math failure instead of the math whiz he likes to lay claim to.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)but everyone around her (and every other child prodigy out there) needs to keep firmly in mind that she is still a 10 year old child.
Orrex
(63,224 posts)Maybe we're finally heading into the generation that can fix the bullshit that all of the preceding generations have inflicted upon the world.
Why? What was your first thought?
packman
(16,296 posts)The joy, the love of life, the sparkle of futures yet to be opened and the sheer happiness of a young woman so full of expectations that are to be explored. Her future undiminished by the vicissitudes that may lay in her way may she ever be that young, that full of loving hope.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)that out of all of the fields to apply mathematical genius to, the one she is thinking of is banking. It took a large number of math PhDs to come up with the concept of collateralized mortgage-backed securities and how to figure out how to dice and slice them and make them appear safe, and we all know how that turned out. But she's young, maybe she will change her mind. In any case, the best of luck to her!
surrealAmerican
(11,364 posts)... and she wants "to help people". My guess is that she is soon to discover what that may mean, but it will take more experience in the adult world to do so. We can only hope her desire to help is durable enough to survive adolescence.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Hope that bright young girl finds her way to a more constructive path, but she probably will. She's just a kid. Best of luck to this remarkable young lady!
dissentient
(861 posts)one thing I noticed though is the prodigy types often are never heard from again after their initial publicity. It's like, "here is the latest child genius!" , this is a news story I have read many times in the past. The news story often says things like they are going to do big things, maybe solve cancer, or something earth-shaking, be a new Einstein, whatever, and then you never seem to hear about them ever again.
2naSalit
(86,775 posts)I think they don't get much more attention for a number of reasons. Some of the reasons, I think are
1. The M$M is afraid of them for their potential altruism so they ignore them.
2. Too much media attention might not be the best thing for their own safety.
3. They are far more intelligent than the GP and giving them a voice would be a terrible thing for the fascist oiligarchy because the GP might be more inclined to listen to them. A limited knowledge public is more willing to accept slavery.
starroute
(12,977 posts)Wiener was born in Columbia, Missouri, the first child of Leo Wiener and Bertha Kahn, Jews of Polish and German origin, respectively. Norbert Wiener became a famous child prodigy. Leo had educated Norbert at home until 1903, employing teaching methods of his own invention, except for a brief interlude when Norbert was 7 years of age. Earning his living teaching German and Slavic languages, Leo read widely and accumulated a personal library from which the young Norbert benefited greatly. Leo also had ample ability in mathematics and tutored his son in the subject until he left home. In his autobiography, Norbert described his father as calm and patient, unless he (Norbert) failed to give a correct answer, at which his father would lose his temper. . . .
After graduating from Ayer High School in 1906 at 11 years of age, Wiener entered Tufts College. He was awarded a BA in mathematics in 1909 at the age of 14, whereupon he began graduate studies of zoology at Harvard. In 1910 he transferred to Cornell to study philosophy. . . .
Harvard awarded Wiener a Ph.D. in 1912, when he was merely 17 years old, for a dissertation on mathematical logic. . . . During 191516, he taught philosophy at Harvard, then was an engineer for General Electric and wrote for the Encyclopedia Americana. Wiener was briefly a journalist for the Boston Herald, where he wrote a feature story on the poor labor conditions for mill workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts, but he was fired soon afterwards for his reluctance to write favorable articles about a politician the newspaper's owners sought to promote. . . .
Wiener is regarded as the originator of cybernetics, a formalization of the notion of feedback, with many implications for engineering, systems control, computer science, biology, philosophy, and the organization of society.
HipChick
(25,485 posts)than in the US..
RadiationTherapy
(5,818 posts)that may come from attending classes.
I hope this kid is also having a fun and occasionally irresponsible childhood. Just as some personalities have to strictly be taught math due to lack of enthusiasm, some personalities have to be taught fun, relaxation, "meaninglessness," and the value of "doing nothing."
I personally think it is a mistake to push someone so hard toward a generic and - for many - very unfulfilling notion of "success." This child's hunger and enthusiasm for math does not necessarily require college degrees.
Telcontar
(660 posts)woodsprite
(11,924 posts)And... maybe kids in public schools could learn some things if they would just stop all the testing and teaching to the test.
Omaha Steve
(99,708 posts)Awesome.
PowerToThePeople
(9,610 posts)I think the schooling system is set up for the least common denominator so that you get a large percentage of students making it through.
My kindergartener can do adding, subtracting, multiplication, and division all in his head. Some pretty difficult problems and large numbers too. Once he is doing math problems on paper (1st or 2nd grade?) I'll probably start teaching algebra, trig, and calculus to him.
He remembers almost everything he hears. He can play chess and knows some linux bash line navigation. I do not even try as much as I should be as a parent, imo. Everything is a game, a challenge to him that he wants to take on. It is amazing to see how much they can understand so young, you just need to offer it to them.
I would like to see a schooling system that is more individualized, based on the student's abilities and interests, where you do not allow any fruit to rot on the tree for the child.
mathematic
(1,439 posts)That is, a true prodigy that has delivered on his genius.
After clicking I was disappointed to find just some smart kid with demanding parents. Oh well. Good luck in banking, kid.
Codeine
(25,586 posts)Nice to see this beautiful little girl kicking intellectual ass.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)Turned out to be a nice surprise. How could you not love that smile?