Mathematicians are adventurers, says 2024 Abel Prize laureate Michel Taragran

French mathematician Michel Taragrand has won the 2024 Abel Prize for his work on probability theory and the description of randomness. As soon as he heard the news, new scientist We spoke to Tara Grand to learn more about his mathematical journey.

Alex Wilkins: What does it mean to win an Abel Prize?

Michel Taragran: I think everyone agrees that the Abel Prize is considered the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in mathematics. So this was completely unexpected for me and I never dreamed that I would win this award. And in fact, it is not so easy to do, since there is already a list of people who have received it. And in that list they are true giants of mathematics. And let me tell you, I don’t feel that comfortable sitting with them because it’s clear that their accomplishments are on a completely different scale than mine.

What are your qualities as a mathematician?

I can’t learn mathematics easily. I have to work. It took a lot of time and I have bad memories. I forget things. So I try to work despite my handicap, but my way of working has always been to try to understand simple things really well. Really, really, in detail. And it turned out to be a successful approach.

Why are you attracted to mathematics?

Once you learn mathematics and begin to understand how it works, it is completely fascinating and extremely fascinating. There are all kinds of levels and you are the explorer. First you have to understand what people before you understood, which is quite difficult, and then you start exploring on your own and soon you like it. Of course, it’s also very frustrating. Therefore, you must have the personality to accept frustration.

But my solution is that when I get frustrated with something, I put it aside, and when it’s clear that I’m not going to make any more progress, I put it aside and do something else, and come back to it later. . I used that strategy very efficiently. And the reason it’s successful is the way the human brain functions, things mature when you don’t look at them. The problem I’ve been dealing with for literally 30 years is back again. And in fact, even after 30 years, I was still making progress. That’s what’s amazing.

How did you get started?

Now, that’s a very personal story. First, it helped that his father was a math teacher, and of course that helped. But in reality, the deciding factor is that I was unlucky to be born with a retinal defect. Then, when I was 5 years old, I lost my right eye. When I was 15 years old, I suffered from multiple retinal detachments and was hospitalized for an extended period of time, taking 6 months off from school. It was very traumatic and I lived in constant fear of having another retinal detachment.

I started studying to escape from that. And his father really helped me very much when he knew how difficult it was. When I was in the hospital, my father visited me every day and started talking about simple math to keep my brain functioning. The reason I started studying difficult mathematics and physics was precisely to combat fear. Of course, once you start studying, you’ll get better at it, and once you’re good at it, it’s very attractive.

What is it like to be a professional mathematician?

There’s no one telling me what to do, so I have complete freedom to do whatever I want with my time. Of course, it suited my personality and I was able to fully devote myself to my work.