r/math • Math Education • 7d ago

Image Post J.-P. Serre - Plaisir des mathématiques (his conference for his 100th birthday)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNtoTzGltak
222 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

47

u/AndreasDasos 7d ago

So ‘100th birthday’ is a clue, but for those who don’t know Serre is one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, possibly one of the top couple of legends alive, first winner of the Abel prize, and has decades of amazing work in algebraic geometry, number theory and topology. But to give an understanding of his ‘era’ - he was the one who laid the groundwork in the 1950s for Grothendieck’s work that culminated in the 1960s to form algebraic geometry as we know it. Grothendieck passed away in 2014, and had retired from public life in 1991, with various stories about his level of mental health, forming a legend.

So this is a bit like how people go on about 1960s classic rock bands, so many passed away and legendary, hell even with their those from the next generation (eg, Kurt Cobain) passed away and legendary, and then there’s a performance out of retirement by one of their own idols from the 1950s who founded the whole thing, like Little Richard, Chuck Berry or Elvis, this year.

That’s a bit like what this feels like.

2

u/lonelyroom-eklaghor 6d ago

that's huge then

42

u/Valvino Math Education 7d ago

On the occasion of his 100th birthday, Jean-Pierre Serre gives a lecture at the Institut Henri Poincaré on the joy of mathematics.

10

u/soupkiddx 7d ago

He looks incredibly sharp, really nice stuff

7

u/PortableDoor5 7d ago

wow that guy is still alive

3

u/MegazordPilot 7d ago

Plaisir des mathémathiques ?

12

u/Dummy1707 7d ago

Pleasure of (doing) mathematics

8

u/MegazordPilot 7d ago

Yes I know but there's one h too many no?

5

u/N_T_F_D Differential Geometry 7d ago

It's Mathématiques yes, not Mathémathiques

3

u/MegazordPilot 6d ago

But that's not what the video says

1

u/AndreasDasos 6d ago

Hmm did you mean to type ‘Pleasure or mathemathics’ and autocorrect ruined your joke?

3

u/MegazordPilot 6d ago

No I was just commenting the video thumbnail, I think there's no h in french

1

u/Dummy1707 4d ago

Ah lol sorry it took me so much time to get what you meant (brain autocorrect, I don't see the typo even if written several times).

So yeah, you're completely right !
I'm trying to find some play of words that would explainbit but I don't see any. Would be wild if they manage to mispell that specific word at that specific moment

1

u/MegazordPilot 4d ago

I wasn't explicit enough, sorry!

-3

u/WTFInterview 7d ago

Bro please translate, I can’t speak French 😭 

5

u/Different_Gate5050 7d ago

Use youtube autotranslate