Riemann Hypothesis Proven or Hoax?

A June 8 press release from Purdue University announced that one of its professors, Louis De Branges, has proven the Riemann Hypothesis (don't ask me what that is). This isn't just of academic interest because there's a $1 million prize that'll go to the first person who proves it, so the announcement has gotten some media coverage. The press release cautions that the professor's proof hasn't yet been peer-reviewed, but states that De Branges has posted the proof on his web page so that everyone can see it. But the MathWorld site notes that "both the 23-page preprint cited in the release (which is actually from 2003) and a longer preprint from 2004 on de Branges's home page seem to lack an actual proof. Furthermore, a counterexample to de Branges's approach due to Conrey and Li has been known since 1998. The media coverage therefore appears to be much ado about nothing." (via Gene Expression)

Science

Posted on Thu Jun 10, 2004


Comments

De Branges' original document was extremely inpenetrably, statring with and p-addic numbers ect.. He has, however, published two new documents, one on complex analysis and a second that contains the supposed proof. The first, I suppose, serves a preparation for a reading of a the second. I have started reading it, and it seems much more friendly. Even though he has not been the most reliable source, mathematically spaeking, his work deserves attention.
Posted by JH  on  Tue Sep 20, 2005  at  04:18 AM
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