Day with a Difference - July 20, 2006

Today's Inspirational Quote:

To succeed... you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. –Tony Dorsett

John Forbes Nash Jr.

AnAmerican mathematician who works in game theory and differential geometry. He shared the 1994 Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences (also called the Nobel Prize in Economics) with two other game theorists, Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. He is best known in popular culture as the subject of the Hollywood movie, A Beautiful Mind, about his mathematical genius and his struggles with mental illness.

Nash began to show the first signs of his mental illness in 1958. He became paranoid and was admitted into the McLean Hospital, April-May 1959, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and mild depression resulting in low self-esteem. After a problematic stay in Paris and Geneva, Nash returned to Princeton in 1960. He remained in and out of mental hospitals until 1970, undergoing insulin shock therapy and other treatments. In campus legend, Nash became "The Phantom of Fine Hall" (Fine Hall is Princeton's mathematics center), a shadowy figure who would scribble arcane equations on blackboards in the middle of the night. The legend appears in a work of fiction based on Princeton life, "The Mind-Body Problem", by Rebecca Goldstein.

Encouraged by Alicia, Nash worked in a communitarian setting where his eccentricities were unremarked. He developed an interest in calculating the exact values of large numbers, research that impelled him to Princeton's Information Centers where he developed computer programs. Here, he had more contact with Princetonians, which helped Nash to cope with his mental illness. In the late 1980s, Nash began to use electronic mail to gradually link with working mathematicians who realized that he was "John Nash" and his new work had value. They formed part of the nucleus of a group that contacted the Bank of Sweden's Nobel award committee and were able to vouch for Nash's ability to receive the award in recognition of his early work.

\nThe 1990s brought a return of his genius, and Nash has taken care to manage the symptoms of his mental illness. He is still hoping to score substantial scientific results. His recent work involves ventures in advanced game theory including partial agency which show that, as in his early career, he prefers to select his own path and problems (though he continues to work in a communal setting to assist in managing his illness). Nash is still at Princeton, where he holds an appointment in mathematics. While cautious with people he does not know, he is said to have a dry sense of humor.

Expand your knowledge base

A spoonerism is a pair of words that can have their initial sounds switched to form new words. The pairs need only sound the same, not necessarily be spelled the same. Given the following definitions, what are the spoonerisms?

1) rock toss & to pack up royal furniture
2) arsonist's desire & to battle a fibber ....... Scroll down for the answer
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Answer

1) throw a stone & stow a throne
2) light a fire & fight a liar

Have a memorable day!
Priya.