In the study room, he looked at Gauss with a complex and solemn expression.
Xu Yun's curiosity, which was already close to reaching its peak, couldn't help but grow stronger. According to data from the Gauss Museum at the University of Göttingen, as of 2022, the museum has collected a total of 68 letters sent or received by Gauss.
Among them, Gauss was the recipient of 41 letters, and Gauss was the sender of the other 27 letters.
The number of the former is basically fixed, while the number of the latter will increase by one or two every few years:
Gauss was already famous all over the world while he was alive, so many of his letters have been preserved and collected.
Some of these letters are considered family heirlooms.
Some are kept secretly by collectors and do not choose to publish them until their death.
Except for God, no one knows how many letters Gauss has in total existence. And among these letters coming and going.
The most famous letter is recognized as a letter home from Gauss to his son-in-law Heinrich Evard.
Heinrich Ewald, like Weber, was one of the famous Seven Gentlemen of Göttingen.
The time when Gauss wrote the letter was November 1837, a few days before the German version of the "Bus Letter".
In this letter he told Heinrich Ewald:
He personally does not agree with Heinrich Ewald's approach. If he can wait for the opportunity, there may be changes.
But since he was determined to do it, he chose to respect his son-in-law's choice.
He also told Aiwad not to back down and to complete his "mission" even if he sacrificed his life.
At the same time, if anything happens to Heinrich Ewald and Weber, he will bear the future living expenses of their families, without having to worry about trivial matters such as money.
This letter does not involve academic matters, but it shows Gauss's character vividly:
Be cautious and cautious, and focus on stability in everything, but as long as you choose a direction, you will never look back. Don't be gullible, but you must keep your promise and keep your promise. In addition to this letter from home, most of Gauss's other letters involve academics:
For example, a letter discussing the semicircle shadow problem with Lagrange, a letter stating that he discovered the method of least squares before Legendre, etc...
The second level of important letters is probably about seven or eight.
The letter that Gauss gave to Xu Yun was obviously not sent, so who could be the person who wrote the letter? Lobachevsky, the first proposer of non-Euclidean geometry? Or Cauchy?
Or some other authority?
But can these people really make Gauss show his previous emotions? With this mentality, Xu Yun accepted the letter from Gauss.
The envelope of the letter was dark yellow in color. It felt brittle when I received it and exuded an old smell. It must have been some time ago. On the dark yellow cover of the envelope, there was written information about the letter:
Recipient: Professor Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss. Recipient address:
Professor's mailbox, Department of Mathematics and Informatics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Mailing address: Building, Department of Classical Mathematics, University of Oslo, Norway.
Sender: Niels Henrik Abel. Wait?!
The moment he saw the sender's name, Xu Yun's eyes froze! Niels Henrik Abel?
He quickly confirmed the name again, and the pan-language plug-in that came with Halo clearly translated it into Chinese characters:
Niels Henrik......Abel.
Then Xu Yun suddenly thought of something, carefully and quickly opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.
At the beginning of the letter, there was a headline:
"The Argument Process about the No Algebraic General Solution of the Quintic Equation of One Yuan".
Xu Yun's eyes stayed on this title for a long time, then he slowly raised his head and said to Gauss thoughtfully:
"Professor Gauss, could this letter be..."
Gauss nodded with a heavy face. It was extremely complicated.
He exhaled a thick breath, confirming Xu Yun's guess:
"Yes, Abel once wrote me a letter in 1824, in which he successfully demonstrated that the fifth equation has no algebraic general solution, but..."
"But I threw this letter in the corner and never opened it."
"I didn't know about this until he perfected the theory of elliptic functions before Jacobi, so I immediately contacted him for a professorship at the University of Berlin, but it was too late - when the University of Berlin sent out the offer letter By that time, Abel had been dead for two days. "
"So I have been keeping this letter, always reminding myself that I had made such a big mistake, which indirectly led to the fall of a mathematical genius."
Looking at Gauss with a mixture of regret and remorse, Xu Yun felt quite heavy. It turned out that the author of this letter was Abel...
No wonder Gauss made such an expression. Throughout the history of modern mathematics, the deaths of three young people are the most regrettable.
They are Galois, Ramanujan and Abel respectively.
Among them, the situation of Galois was briefly introduced once before. A considerable part of his death was attributed to his political character.
In fact, Galois came from a very good background. His father was a mayor, his mother was also a parliamentarian, and his university tutor was the famous Cauchy.
But precisely because of the strong political atmosphere in the family, Galois was trained to be a political fanatic from an early age.
This kind of character caused Kexi to be dissatisfied with this student.
Although he communicated frequently to encourage Galois, he never introduced his contacts to Galois. Later, Galois encountered a political conspiracy, and eventually died in a duel.
The cause of Ramanujan's death was psychological and physical illness:
He was first diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1917, and at the end of the same year he was unable to return home due to World War I, so he tried to commit suicide by lying on the train.
After failing to commit suicide, he returned to India in 1919 and eventually died of illness in Madras in 1920.
Both Galois and Ramanujan left a lot of wealth to mankind, which makes people feel regretful every time they think about it.
For example, Galois wrote group theory three days before the duel, and Ramanujan left a large number of manuscripts and notes, which contained a large number of formulas and propositions without proof.
Many mathematicians devoted themselves to the study of Ramanujan's manuscripts, and it was not until 1997 that part of it was finally completed and published in five volumes.
And if the deaths of Galois and Ramanujan were more or less due to their own factors, then Abel's fall was a complete trick of fate.
Abel was born in Norway, and his family conditions were not very good since he was a child, but he still relied on his talent to become a self-taught person.
As an adult, Abel was known as one of the most handsome mathematicians, and his looks were as good as those of Plank when he was young. (You can go look for photos, he is really handsome)
Abel's father died when he was 18 years old, and Abel, who was still in college, suddenly had to take care of the family.
Fortunately.
The teachers at the University of Oslo where he was studying did not give up on this genius, and together they funded Abel.
As for Abel, he rewarded them with results.
In Abel's time, solving the fifth equation of one variable was a very hot topic.
While Abel was studying, the closest result in mathematics to a correct answer was a discussion by an Italian mathematician named Ruffini.
The discussion was more than 500 pages long, but it still did not give a correct conclusion. Then Abel said that my plug-in has been activated, let me do it:
He used six pages of manuscript paper to perfectly solve the problem of solving the fifth equation of one variable, and also made some supplements to Ruffini's discussion - and the reason why Abel only used six pages was because he did not have much money to pay for printing. It's a waste...
Later, Abel sent these six pages of manuscript to a person, hoping to be appreciated by the other person.
That's right.
This person is Gauss...But fate made another joke with Abel.
In 1824, Gauss, in Li's words, was almost at the peak of the Great Perfection of Semi-Saints. He was about to break through to the holy level and was the only Semi-Saint in the world.
So naturally, he received a large number of letters every day - according to Gauss's own account, he received up to more than 3,000 letters a year.
Students who have taken the college entrance examination in later generations should all know this.
When teachers introduce college entrance examination essays, they often tell you one thing:
Since there are so many essays for the college entrance examination, marking teachers often just scan them in a hurry and grade them quickly based on the handwriting and beginning.
There is only one word difference between Gauss and the college entrance examination, so Gauss uses a similar method when reading letters: he will first read the handwriting and title, and then decide whether to continue reading based on the beginning content.
As for Abel's handwriting... let's put it this way.
Compared with Abel's calligraphy, Lao Ai can be considered a great calligrapher.
In addition, Abel also added a self-effacing content at the beginning, so Gauss naturally had a feeling at that time:
The wording is ugly and the beginning is long-winded. How can you solve a problem that others haven't solved in 500 pages in only six pages?
So Gauss naturally threw the letter aside and ignored it.
Abel, who did not wait for Gauss's reply, wandered around again and again, arriving in Paris and handing his manuscript to the French Academy of Sciences.
The secretary of the Academy of Sciences was shocked after reading this manuscript and gave it to Cauchy for review. Yes, it’s Cauchy again. But everyone knows that in addition to being highly productive, Cauchy’s writing also has another characteristic:
The papers he wrote were all very long.
For this reason, mathematics magazines did not have enough space to publish his paper, so he was furious and created a special issue to publish his paper.
So when he got a 6-page paper, Cauchy couldn't bring himself to take it seriously.
So Abel waited in Paris to no avail, and even caught a cold. In the end, he had no choice but to return to Norway.
Later, he worked as a substitute teacher while studying academics, and eventually perfected the theory of elliptic functions before Jacobi, and he became famous.
Jacobi was one of Gauss's apprentices. It was at that time that Gauss recalled the letter:
Abel really solved a big problem in mathematics with six pages of manuscript!
So Gauss quickly wrote to the University of Berlin, hoping to hire Abel as a professor.
At the same time, four members of the French Academy of Sciences wrote directly to the King of Norway, hoping to knight Abel.
If this was a book written by me eating tomatoes, then the story would have ended with a perfect and harmonious ending.
It's a pity... Destiny probably likes to read the works of old Jiangnan thieves.
So just like the old thief Dao Eriyi, fate ruthlessly dealt Abel another knife:
What he caught in Paris was not a cold, but a more serious form of hematogenous tuberculosis than Ramanujan.
In the past few years, Abel had not even been able to pay for medication, so when the disease broke out again, he was unable to say goodbye to this world.
He died at the age of 26. And in this short period of 26 years.
Abel left Abelian integrals\Abelian functions\Abelian integral equations\Abelian groups\Abelian series\Abelian partial sum formulas\Abelian fundamental theorem\Abelian limit theorem\Abelian summability properties and a series of theorems or concepts.
His ranking in the history of mathematics can be ranked around 15th. To use Mr. Qiu Chengtong’s evaluation:
"Had he (Abel) lived forty more years, Fermat's last theorem, which has troubled the mathematical world for more than four hundred years, might not have been proved by Wiles."
Abel's fall was one of the few pain points in Gauss's life. In the study.
Looking at the letter in Xu Yun's hand, Gauss sighed and his body became a little rickety:
"I have been blaming myself these years, if
The sky gradually darkened, and the lights in the city were brightly lit.
They came to a street with few pedestrians, which was a residential area.
Not long after, they came to the door of a small blue-tiled courtyard and sent out a transmission note. Soon, the courtyard door opened and Wang Qingbai came out and welcomed them in.
There is a three-story blue attic and a blue stone pavilion in the courtyard. Xia Houyao has already brewed a steaming pot of spiritual tea.
"Dad, Mom, you are back. Let's have a cup of tea to relieve your fatigue."
Xia Houyao poured them each a cup of spiritual tea and said.
They rented an independent courtyard early for Wang Changsheng and others to rest.
Wang Changsheng took the tea cup, took a sip, and praised: "That's right, didn't you buy anything? It's hard to come to the sea and buy more things you need."
"Dad, we bought some things, but we heard about something related to the important criminal captured by the Pang family monks."
Wang Qingbai said.
"What's up?"
Wang Changsheng asked casually. He had been inquiring about the price of the Chaos Beast Crystal Core and had not paid attention to this kind of thing.
"The Pang family's caravan was attacked and the whole army was wiped out. The Golden Immortal monk was also seriously injured. I heard that the murderer took away a second-grade Taoist elixir. It was also said that he took away the middle-grade Chaos Armor Stomach. The Pang family issued a large reward. Capture key criminals."
Wang Qingbai said.
"Dao Dan!"
Wang Changsheng nodded. It seemed that Dao Pill was also a rare thing in the sea. As for the grade of Dao Pill, the person involved knew it. Maybe it was not Dao Pill, but something else.
Xia Houyao said: "The rewards from the Pang family are quite tempting. Those who provide clues will be rewarded with a complete set of immortal weapons and 10,000 immortal stones, but I heard that it was a set-up by other forces."
"Ignore them, we mind our own business."
Wang Ruyan warned.
Who knows what forces are involved here? The water in the Chiyang Sea is deep. There is no need for them to take the initiative to wade into the muddy water for some rewards.
The rewards given by the Pang family are very generous for ordinary true immortals, but they are not lacking at all.
Wang Changsheng nodded and said, "In that case, let's be careful and don't cause unnecessary trouble. By the way, Qiu Lin hasn't come back yet?"
"He is still wandering around the city! We have told him where he lives, and Qing Ling and Qing are also wandering around."
Wang Qingbai said.
After chatting for a while, Wang Changsheng stood up and walked into the attic to meditate and adjust his breath.
Three days passed quickly. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were wandering around the market, and asked about the resources that the Cao family was famous for, such as elixir and wine.
Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan arrived at Chiyang Tower. As soon as they walked in, a deacon walked over quickly and said respectfully: "Two seniors, Patriarch Xingdian has been waiting for you for a long time. Please come upstairs."
They came to the fifteenth floor and met Cao Xingdian.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, Mrs. Wang, how are you?"
Cao Xingdian said enthusiastically.
"We can sell the one-color crystal core to your Cao family. We want two jars of True Spirit Jade Liquid, how about it?"
Wang Changsheng said.
True Spirit Jade Liquid is a first-order fairy wine with excellent body-building effects. The Cao family only sells some of it when they hold large-scale auctions, and usually does not sell it at all. ….
Just from the name, you can tell that even if it is a true spirit, it will have good effects if it is drunk.
"Two jars of true spirit jade liquid? Fellow Daoist Wang, your conditions are too harsh." Cao Xingdian shook his head.
"Harsh, it's just a first-order immortal wine."
Wang Changsheng was confused.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, do you think the True Spirit Jade Liquid is an ordinary fairy wine? In addition to more than a hundred kinds of fairy medicines and fruits, you also need the crystal nuclei of the three-color chaos beasts in the late stage of the True Immortal. The pure crystal nuclei are ground into powder, otherwise the body will be forged. How could the effect be so good?"
Cao Xingdian explained,
"Powder with pure three-color crystal nuclei added!"
Wang Changsheng said in surprise, he really didn't know.
"One pot at most, in another three years,
If he had been more patient and read this letter, Abel's life trajectory might not have been so miserable."
"I may not be the culprit or the driving force, but I have really influenced Abel's life trajectory."
"So I have always regarded this incident as a big regret, and I can't let it go every time I think about it."
Looking at Gauss, who was looking quite sluggish, Xu Yun said nothing. He told the truth.
There are many reasons for Abel's untimely death, but one thing is predictable:
That is, if Gauss had read this letter and recommended Abel to a German university...
Then Abel will at least not run to Paris again.
If he had not gone to Paris, he would not have encountered the Paris Flu of 1825, and the probability of getting blood-borne tuberculosis would have been greatly reduced.
Therefore, what Gauss said that he indirectly caused Abel's fall is indeed true in a sense.
But on the other hand, it is equally understandable that Gauss chose to ignore this letter.
Because of Gauss's status at the time, 99% of the contents of those letters were boring civil affairs or harassment.
Just like the mailbox of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in later generations, the content either solved the curvature bubble or achieved controllable nuclear fusion. If you are lucky, you can also see antimatter annihilation and so on...
In this case, it is really unrealistic for you to ask Gauss to read each letter individually. Therefore, Abel's life is completely a tease of fate.
Abel missed all the nodes that could change the trajectory of his destiny, and finally walked towards the abyss step by step.
Later generations had a rather extreme statement, and the content was very simple: Galois died of stupidity, while Abel died of poverty.
Then Gauss turned his attention to the letter in Xu Yun's hand, sighed, and said to Xu Yun:
"Classmate Luo Feng, I am now 73 years old. My family knows my own affairs. I am afraid that it will not be long before my soul returns to heaven."
"No matter how big the regret is, there will be no chance to regret or reflect in the future." Then he moved his eyes upward from the envelope and looked at Xu Yun:
"But Luo Feng, you are different. You are still young and you still have a long way to go in the future." "So after much hesitation, I decided to send this letter to you."
"The solution to the fifth equation in the manuscript is no longer an unsolved mystery to today's mathematical community. Therefore, the academic value of the letter is not high, but its significance in a certain aspect is extraordinary."
"I hope that in your future life... you will not miss this kind of regret again, and of course, don't become the regret of others."
"In addition, if you encounter any mathematical problems in the future, you can come to me at any time." Xu Yun was silent for a long time, and then nodded heavily: "I understand, Professor Gauss."
"professor?"
Gauss's decibel suddenly rose a few points. He pointed to the manuscript on the table and then to the letter in Xu Yun's hand:
"Classmate Luo Feng, I gave you so many things, and you still call me professor?" Xu Yun was slightly startled, but soon he realized something.
He glanced at the letter in his hand, took a deep breath, and said, "I understand, Teacher Gauss."......
Note:
The fan title event has started, in the book review area - I'm not talking about this chapter, the rules are the same as before. The copy is about to enter the final stage, and this time it's real (look at my sincere eyes)
