Brief introduction to China

Hua (1910.11985.6.12) is a world-famous mathematician, who has made an analysis of China's analytic number theory, matrix geometry, gauge groups and self-safety function theory. 191012 was born in Jintan county, Jiangsu province, China. 1985 June 12, died of a heart attack in Tokyo, Japan. The international mathematical research achievements named after Fahrenheit include Fahrenheit theorem, Huai-Hua inequality, Fahrenheit inequality, Prawell-Gardiner theorem, Fahrenheit operator, Hua-Wang method and so on.

Chinese name: Hua

Nationality: China.

Ethnic group: Han nationality

Place of birth: Jintan, Jiangsu

Date of birth:1910112.

Date of death:1June 1985 12.

Occupation: Mathematician

Graduate school: Tsinghua University.

Main achievements: China was the founder and pioneer of analytic number theory.

Masterpieces: prime number theory, optimality theory, introduction to advanced mathematics, starting from Yang Hui triangle.

Political Party: China Producers' Party.

Achievement: Fahrenheit Theorem, Hua Wang Fa.

Famous saying: Work until the last moment of your life.

Hello, classmates! You can relax a little in this class. Let me tell you the story of Hua, a great mathematician.

From the moment when the fire of civilization was first lit, mathematics has always been with human beings. Why did you choose Hua, a famous mathematician in history? I don't want to exaggerate his achievements. I know he doesn't belong to the most dazzling stars in the whole history of mathematics-Euclid, Newton and Galois ... he is just one of the greatest mathematicians of his time-the twentieth century. The Chicago Museum of Science and Technology lists 88 great mathematicians in ancient and modern times, and Hua is among them. I chose him not only because of his extraordinary achievements and talented mathematical creation, but also because of his legendary experience. He only attended junior high school, but he became a teacher in Tsinghua six and a half years after graduation and a professor in seven years. His beautiful talk with Wen Yiduo's family in The National SouthWest Associated University; After hearing the news of the liberation of the motherland, he gave up his comfortable life and chose to return to China, and wrote the famous "Open Letter to All China Students Studying in the United States"; Together with his comrades-in-arms, he worked hard to create a whole "China Mathematical Circle"; During the Cultural Revolution, he traveled all over the country in 26 provinces and cities, personally teaching millions of workers and peasants during the day and assiduously studying math problems at night. It is also the perfect curtain call for his life.

Hua is an outstanding representative of a generation of intellectuals in China and the embodiment of the word scientist in our minds. Now please allow me to share his life story with you.

Hua, a native of Jintan, Jiangsu Province, was born in June 2002191065438+10/2.

Liang Yusheng, a famous martial arts novelist, wrote an article "Legend of China", which mentioned that he failed the math exam when he was in the first grade of junior high school. Liang Yusheng later personally asked if Hua had offended the teacher. He said, "No, I was very playful when I was a child. I often play truant to watch social dramas. The test paper is scribbled again, no wonder the teacher's. " After this lesson, he began to study hard in Grade Two.

He formed the habit of loving thinking and not superstitious about authority very early. The logic in literary works will also trigger his thinking. In the second day of junior high school, a Chinese teacher liked Hu Shi and arranged for students to read Hu Shi's works. He was assigned to read the Collection of Trial Papers. Preface to "condensed poems": "There has been no attempt since ancient times, and it is not necessarily the interpretation of Weng. I turned to it today, and I have been trying successfully since ancient times. " Hua pointed out that "trying" in "not trying to succeed since ancient times" means trying once, while "trying" in Hu Shi's last sentence "trying since ancient times" means trying tirelessly. This sentence says that success since ancient times lies in unremitting attempts, and does not constitute a refutation of Lu You's "desire to succeed since ancient times".

/kloc-After graduating from junior high school at the age of 0/5, I went to a vocational school in Shanghai. The school exempted his tuition, but he had to drop out of school and go home because he couldn't afford the meal. He did not go to school. He sells cigarettes, needle and thread in the grocery store, shouldering the burden of supporting his family for his father.

At that time, he didn't have any books at hand, only a big algebra, an analytic geometry and a 50-page calculus. He just chews these books. He said: "At that time, of course, I didn't know there was socialism or productism. I just think we should do something for our country and win a little honor. So I began to study hard. Some people may say that this is a joke, and study for several years before learning. That's no joke! Reading is not superstition. Reading doesn't have to be a college graduate, and it doesn't have to be complete. In fact, people who are really willing to learn can learn on any occasion. " He said that because of self-study, he learned the knowledge of middle school and university level. He thought deeply about all aspects of elementary mathematics, which laid the foundation for his achievements in many fields of mathematics in the future.

Ramanukin, a contemporary Indian mathematician, had a similar experience. /kloc-when he was 0/5 years old, he got a set of basic achievements of pure mathematics and applied mathematics, which contained more than 5000 equations of algebra, calculus, trigonometry and analytic geometry, but it was not proved. He regards every equation as a research topic, trying to prove it uniquely and popularize some of them. It took him about five years to leave hundreds of pages of math notes.

Many years later, a reporter asked Huawei why it chose to teach itself mathematics. He said, "I have no choice. To learn something else, you have to run around or need equipment. I chose math because it only needs a pen and a piece of paper-the props are simple. "

At the age of eighteen or nineteen, with the help of his teacher Wang Weike, he went back to school to work as an accountant and a part-time job. Wang Weike intends to let him teach Grade One. Just when he had a plan, Hua's mother died and he was seriously ill. He stayed in bed for six months, and since then his leg has been broken. When walking, draw a big circle on your left leg and take a small step on your right leg. He later joked that it was "the movement of circles and tangents."

At the age of twenty, I began to write papers and submit my own mathematical theorems. He often receives rejection letters from editors, telling him that this theorem has been solved by French or British mathematicians. This made him very confident, because he solved these problems himself and didn't see their conclusions.

One of his papers caught the attention of Xiong Qinglai, head of the Department of Mathematics at Tsinghua University. Xiong Qing came to ask his colleague, which university does this Hua teach at? When he heard that Hua had only attended junior high school, he was surprised and decided to invite him to Tsinghua. 193 1 in the summer of, Hua left the grocery store to work as an assistant in the library of the Department of Mathematics of Tsinghua University. He must finish his work first every day: sorting out books and materials, sending and receiving documents, collecting stationery, drawing charts and so on. Teach yourself mathematics after work. In the second year, I was promoted to teaching assistant and then to lecturer. It took only six and a half years from a junior high school graduate to a university teacher. Later, he said to his friend, "People have received more education than me, and I have to spend twice as much time to remedy my shortcomings, so I have to work 12 hours or more every day to feel at ease."

1936, spent 26 years old to study in Britain. By this time, he had almost read all the math books in Tsinghua Library. Thomas Hadto, the chief professor of mathematics at Cambridge University in England, told Hua that he only needed one year to get his doctorate. It takes a year to concentrate on a problem to get a doctorate, but Hua said, "I came to Cambridge to study, not to get a degree." He gave up his doctorate, studied seven or eight subjects at the same time as a visiting scholar, and wrote twenty papers during his two years in Cambridge. According to the standard, every paper can get a doctorate. He put forward a theory which was called "Fahrenheit Theorem" in mathematics, and improved Hardy's conclusion. Hardy said, "Great, my work can't be improved after it is written. My work must be changed this time!" "

1938 War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was in full swing, and the British asked China to stay and teach. He resolutely gave up everything in Britain and returned to the motherland, and went to The National SouthWest Associated University to suffer with his compatriots. Tsinghua University Qualification Committee unanimously agreed that Hua, who only has a junior high school diploma, was promoted to a university professor.

Later, his son Hua Guang pushed him down the street in Los Angeles. Two young overseas Chinese recognized Hua, and came running to say hello, saying that the Japanese emperor had issued an imperial edict, saying that the Forbidden City in China and China could not be bombed. When asked if he knew about it, Hua said with a smile that he was not only bombed, but also buried in his neck.

At that time, too many chefs had a hard time digging flowers out of the soil. The Hua family was desperate because of the air raid, and Wen Yiduo enthusiastically gave them a house. Two families 14 people live in a room of 16 square meters, which is blocked by curtains. The Hua family had to go through Wen's bedroom to get to their bedroom. They had a life that both families would never forget. Hua "witnessed this old intellectual who grew up in semi-feudal and semi-colonial old China, suffered a lot, went through his long and tortuous road and gradually became a brave and unyielding democratic fighter." Wen Yiduo often encourages his children: "You must study as hard as Mr. Hua, and you will certainly become useful people to society in the future." Hua wrote a poem saying: "Hanging cloth and separating houses can accommodate knees, and how bumpy the two families are." Immobile archaeology is a step in the west, with different majors. "

The two families live in the wing of a small building in the countryside of Kunming. There are pigs, cows and horses downstairs. At night, cows will grab posts and the floor will shake. If there is no electric light, find an oil lamp. In the dim light, Hua wrote the famous book of number theory, The Theory of Overlapping Primes.

Professor Wen Yiduo was killed, and China was extremely shocked and saddened. Later, he said in an article: "Realizing the four modernizations and building China into a prosperous and powerful socialist country are the ideals that Wen Yiduo and countless martyrs fought for with their heads and blood. We will put this ideal into practice with both hands, and our task is glorious and arduous. As a junior and friend of Mr. Yiduo, I always feel ashamed and guilty. In the darkest moment, I didn't stand up like him and trade my life for light! However, now I am relieved that I can use the rest of my life to complete the unfinished business of Mr. Yiduo and countless predecessors. "

1In the autumn of 946, at the invitation of Professor Weil of Princeton University, Hua went abroad again for an academic visit to the United States. During his four years in the United States, he expanded his research direction, which was the best time in his life, whether it was material living conditions or academic research conditions. During his stay in the United States, he carefully studied applied mathematics, especially electronic computers, because the first computer was just born. 1950, the news of the liberation of the motherland reached the United States, and Hua resolutely decided to lead his family back to China. In Hong Kong, he published the famous Open Letter to All Students Studying in China. Let me read you some paragraphs:

Some people may say that their society has "democracy" and "freedom", and we should like it. But I say, ladies and gentlemen, don't be fooled by the literal meaning. Of course, being confused by words didn't start today.

Let's think about it carefully. Capitalists have all the tools-radios, newspapers, magazines and movies. Of course, the power of his words is beyond our comparison. It is equal to playing a solo on the guqin when people are beating drums and gongs. Although we all have "freedom", I dare to assert that under the broken string, people will never hear the beautiful sound of your guqin again. In the case of economic inequality, it is self-deception to talk about "democracy"; Talking about "freedom" means to be shackled. True freedom and true democracy of mankind can only be achieved in true equality; In a society without equality, the so-called "freedom" and "democracy" are just tools of the ruling class.

Let's analyze it carefully again: how did we go abroad? Maybe it's those who think that they can be selected for overseas exams only by their own cleverness and hard work, and they can stand here only by their own skills and skills. Therefore, maybe we can draw a conclusion: what we enjoy here is our own ability, and our position here is our own efforts. But in my opinion, this is not entirely correct. Why? Who gave us special learning opportunities to graduate from college? Who will give us the necessary foreign exchange to study abroad? Aren't they our hardworking compatriots? Aren't they our parents who have gone through a lot of hardships? How is it fair not to serve our compatriots after they have been trained into talents by their blood and sweat? How can it be called reasonable? Friends, we can't kick down the ladder. We should realize that since we have superior rights, we should do our due duty, especially smart and capable friends. We should shoulder the task of the people of China and the unprecedented huge people of China!

……

Friends! "Although Liangyuan is good, it is not a hometown of long residence", back and forth! ..... In short, in order to choose the truth, we should go back; For the sake of the nation, we should go back; In order to serve the people, we should also go back; Even for personal career, we should go back as soon as possible, lay a solid foundation for our work and strive for the construction and development of our great motherland!

After returning to China, he first taught in Tsinghua University, and then served as the head and vice president of the Department of Mathematics in the newly established China University of Science and Technology for a long time, which trained a large number of scientific talents for China. He recruited talented people and guided students to study in different fields of mathematics through discussion classes. Every four or five years, students in a field reach the world's excellent level, and he leads a group of freshmen to March into a new field of mathematics. You know, ordinary mathematicians can only involve a limited number of mathematical fields in their lives. However, with its spirit of hard struggle and sense of responsibility for the motherland, Hua led students to tackle key problems tirelessly in new fields and made great contributions to the whole mathematics field in China. He greatly promoted the development of computers, and computer science in China also contributed.

A young man named Chen Jingrun wrote to China, suggesting that the method in Chapter 5 of his heap prime theory can be used to improve some results in Chapter 4. Hua appreciated him very much and tried his best to transfer him to work in Beijing. Many years later, Chen Jingrun said gratefully, "I am the first and last young man transferred by Mr. Hua through the back door!" Later, Chen Jingrun made outstanding contributions to Goldbach's conjecture, but wherever he went, he would proudly mention "My teacher Hua" to others.

Hua often encourages young people with his own experience. He said that science is honest knowledge, and there can be no false exaggeration.

To tell the truth, the first thing is to lay a good foundation. If you are not afraid of being low, you are afraid of not knowing the bottom. To what extent is the foundation enough? He said that there are two necessary processes to lay a good foundation, one is from thin to thick, and the other is from thick to thin. From thin to thick is a process of learning and accepting, and from thick to thin is a process of digestion and refining. Read a book, plus your own notes, the more you read, the thicker it will be; To truly understand, we must chew, digest and master what we have learned and refine key issues. Re-learning will not be crammed into your mind one by one, but will become adding some new contents and methods on the original basis. Learning can be greatly accelerated.

On the basis of widely accepting the achievements of predecessors, we must think independently and work independently. Zu Chongzhi, a famous scientist in the Five Dynasties, summed up his research by searching the past and the present. Search is search, learn from the achievements of predecessors and study extensively; Refining means refining, comparing and studying various ideas, and finally creating your own theory. What I have learned has been consolidated through my own thinking and efforts, and I have the courage and ability to solve difficult problems.

He proposed several areas of research work. One is to imitate gourd painting gourd ladle. In fact, it is equivalent to doing an exercise. The second is to solve several new problems by comprehensive method. Because the new problem is different from the old one, it may be necessary to modify the existing method. The third is to create methods and solve problems. The fourth is to open up the direction. Opening up a new direction will allow later scientists to do it for decades and hundreds of years. Hua himself has done basic work in many fields, such as number theory, algebra, multivariate complex variable function theory, matrix geometry and so on.

He said that if you don't understand, you will never understand. He should be good at exposing himself. Communicating with others and telling others what you know can not only help others improve, but also expose their own shortcomings.

Regarding self-study, he said: "First, self-study should at least be practical. Starting from your own level, don't aim too high; Second, self-study should be carefully planned and checked frequently; Third, think more and practice more in the process of self-study; Fourth, overcoming the difficulties encountered in self-study is long-term and arduous. We must face difficulties and persevere. "

1964, Hua sent a letter, suggesting that optimization method and overall planning method should be popularized in production practice, which is believed to improve management level and efficiency. Mao Zedong wrote back and praised him as "ambitious and satisfactory". As a result, Hua began to go deep into the grassroots and spread the overall optimization method all over the motherland. He personally went to factories and mines, braved the heat and cold, and taught knowledge to workers and peasants in easy-to-understand language to help them increase production, improve quality and reduce consumption. During the Cultural Revolution, Hua couldn't visit the library, and he was always on guard against the cold arrows of the Gang of Four. Some villains with ulterior motives criticized Hua for being divorced from the actual production when doing theoretical research, and criticized him for not doing theoretical research when doing overall planning and optimization. China is unmoved. He said, "But you say yours and I'll do mine. I only know that overall optimization is beneficial to the people, and I will do it; I know that without theory, you can't get the best choice, so you must do theory. "

During the ten-year turmoil, the minions of the Gang of Four repeatedly asked Chen Jingrun to expose China's mistakes, but Chen Jingrun resolutely refused. He said: "Professor Hua is an internationally renowned mathematician. I went through his back door and transferred to the Mathematics Institute from a remote place. Without his support, I would never be here today! "

After the Cultural Revolution, Hua was invited to give lectures abroad. His old friends are very concerned and a little worried, afraid that he will degenerate and make a fool of himself after years of being unfamiliar with knowledge. They didn't know that Hua used the publications sent to him by foreign colleagues to continue his theoretical research. He runs seven or eight factories a day and studies theories behind others' backs with his assistants at night. After going abroad, Hua held two academic conferences first, and then used his summer vacation to sort out his research achievements in the past ten years, mentioning ten aspects. He said, "My idea is to talk about my shortcomings rather than my strengths. Tell me what you are good at, will you? ..... everyone can't understand. But what did I get myself? I don't have it myself. I got nothing. So my idea is to put forward 10, so that people can choose freely. Let them choose, they usually choose their best things and their best things. Ok, I'll come to your place and tell you what you are good at. In ancient China, there was a saying that it was forbidden to teach fish to swim. But my view is the other way around: make an axe and you will arrive at the door! If you want to play with an axe, you must dare to play at the board door. Playing in front of others, bullying others? You played tricks in front of luban. If he says you have shortcomings, give me some advice, and I will be better next time. If he nods, it shows that our work has achieved considerable results. As the saying goes: find a chess master, find someone worse than me, win his chess there every day, and laugh every day, okay? Good is good, but your level is not high. If you find a master and lose to him every time, can you still improve your chess skills after losing for half a year? Therefore, I advocate being an axe that enters the door and finding a master of chess. "

During this visit in 1979, China visited four countries and dozens of cities. An American scholar listened to his report in Holland and wrote to him: "Your speech in Annapolis was really great. You have proved to everyone that excellent scholars can make outstanding achievements even in the worst adversity. You are those of us who live in a comfortable and stable environment and can only be ashamed. "

At the invitation of the Asia Society of Japan, Hua and his assistant will visit Japan from June 3 to 6. Because I had twice myocardial infarction and my leg surgery had passed the insurance period, I had to take a wheelchair when I went to see a doctor. During the visit, only Hua was arranged to give a report on his work since the 1950s. It is already difficult for him to write, and his eldest daughter-in-law has compiled a table as the outline of the report. In order to prepare the report, he declined all kinds of activities for two days in a row. 1 1 That night, he really couldn't sleep, so he took sleeping pills and barely slept for a while.

The lecture will be arranged in a lecture hall of Tokyo University in the afternoon of 12. At 4 o'clock, accompanied by Komatsu Yansaburo, president of the Japanese Mathematical Society, he walked into the lecture hall with crutches, and the venue rang with warm applause. At 4: 12, at the beginning of the speech, he left the wheelchair and insisted on standing. At first, he used Chinese, which was translated into Japanese by a translator. Later, after consulting everyone, I switched to English. He talked on and on, taking off his suit and tie first. The stipulated time of 45 minutes was up, and he asked for everyone's opinions and asked if he could extend it for a few minutes. The speech lasted 65 minutes. Finally, Hua said "thank you" and sat down in a storm of applause. Bai Niao Wen Zi, a Japanese mathematician, came to the podium with a bunch of flowers in her hand. Hua suddenly slipped down from the chair. Professor China and Japanese doctors present exclaimed to help him. His eyes were closed, his face turned purple from lack of oxygen, and he completely lost consciousness. In the afternoon 10: 09, Tokyo University Hospital announced that Hua's heart had completely stopped beating.

He once said that his "greatest hope is to work until the last moment of his life". There is no more gorgeous way to make a curtain call.

Finally, let's end this lesson with an ancient poem by China.

Efforts come first,

You don't know your cleverness and stupidity until you know it.

Diligence is a good training,

Every effort, every talent.

Thank you. I hope it can be adopted.