, according to his sister, had a rather 乌鸦传媒渙rdinary and uneventful乌鸦传媒� childhood in White Rock, where his family ran Langlands Millwork & Builders乌鸦传媒� Supplies.
Other than his knack for math, that is.
It was these 乌鸦传媒淕od-given talents乌鸦传媒� that a high school teacher encouraged him to pursue more than six decades ago, Mary Fran McArthur recalled this week, following news her brother had been named the Laureate for 2018, a distinction bestowed for 乌鸦传媒渙utstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淗e has used those talents well. The Abel Award is the culmination of many years work and of many prestigious awards which he has received,乌鸦传媒� McArthur told Peace Arch News Wednesday, in a statement she prepared alongside former Semiahmoo Secondary classmate Ed Fader.
乌鸦传媒淚 have to say that although I have read many description of his work, I have no idea of what he really does. Obviously, the mathematical community does.乌鸦传媒�
The world became acutely aware of Langlands乌鸦传媒� proclivity for mathematics in 1967, when he suggested connections between two distinctly different fields: harmonic analysis and number theory.
Last week, more than 50 years later, the Princeton University Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) professor was described as 乌鸦传媒渋ntroducing a theory that created a completely new way of thinking about mathematics.乌鸦传媒�
The Abel Prize has been described as the Nobel Prize for mathematics. Named after Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel, it comes with a cash award of six million Norwegian kroner, equivalent to nearly $1 million.
Langlands, 81, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. (An official at his office at the IAS 乌鸦传媒� which it can be noted is the same office once occupied by Albert Einstein 乌鸦传媒� told PAN Langlands 乌鸦传媒渃omes in as he pleases.乌鸦传媒�)
However, in the video of the award announcement posted March 20 to the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters website, Langlands tells broadcaster Alex Bellos he was surprised by news of the award, which he only learned about shortly before the announcement was made.
乌鸦传媒淚 didn乌鸦传媒檛 have an immediate reaction,乌鸦传媒� he said. 乌鸦传媒淲hat I wanted to do was think it over.乌鸦传媒�
Asked how surprised he has been by the growth of his initial conjectures into a 乌鸦传媒減rogram of such depth and scope,乌鸦传媒� Langlands said he has been concerned about the 乌鸦传媒渢endency to take the easy road.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚 think there are strange and real questions right at the core, that have been there乌鸦传媒� since the time of Gauss, and that have been advanced, but i guess because they乌鸦传媒檙e so rich乌鸦传媒� in relation to other matters, have often been left aside, perhaps because people just didn乌鸦传媒檛 know how to think about them,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Ole M. Sejersted, president of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, described the Langlands program as 乌鸦传媒渧isionary.乌鸦传媒�
In a congratulatory statement posted online, Kenneth A Ribet, president of the American Mathematical Society, said Langlands is 乌鸦传媒渙ne of the most distinguished mathematicians alive today and a towering figure in the history of modern mathematics.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淗is insights, which grew out of penetrating technical work early in his career, have transformed and enriched both number theory and representation theory. The deep relations between the two subjects that he predicted and probed have guided the work of countless mathematicians over the last 50 years,乌鸦传媒� Ribet states.
Fader, 80, told PAN he and other former classmates of Langlands乌鸦传媒� are proud of his accomplishments.
乌鸦传媒淗e乌鸦传媒檚 done quite well,乌鸦传媒� Fader said Wednesday. 乌鸦传媒淪ome of my classmates (think) we should have a Bob Langlands Day in White Rock, just for him.乌鸦传媒�
Langlands told Bellos he plans to share the prize money with various institutions and groups he already supports, 乌鸦传媒渢hat乌鸦传媒� are in some way useful to the world.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淎nd (US)$800,000 will help.乌鸦传媒�
