episode_0009

Episode 9: KMO Mathematical Olympiad

“……Could it be that guy who was doing physics?!”

This method of applying axioms and theories in an inexact and slapdash manner.

The part where he completely ignores the conceptual aspects and hits the mark with intuition.

“W-what……? H-how dare you use the Dirac Delta as a function?! This isn’t a function, strictly speaking it’s just a distribution……!! This isn’t an electromagnetics problem!”

Moreover, even the part that touched the trigger points that mathematicians hate without restraint.

“Ah, but he did mention the part where the Dirac function was recently included and proven in modern analysis, so I gave partial credit for that.”

“Shut up, you idiot graduate student!”

Chairman Hong couldn’t accept it.

Not someone who truly delved into beautiful mathematics in a mathematical way.

That the guy doing physics, whom he hated the most, had solved his problem.

“Did you also end up selling your soul to a physicist?! It seems like all the papers you’ve been writing lately are in the field of mathematical physics……!”

Even while saying that, Chairman Hong couldn’t take his eyes off the 3rd place answer sheet.

“That guy doing physics, those guys who only see math as a tool, how could they get the answer to my problem……!”

Chairman Hong’s unique math-first principle.

That in the end, physics is merely a field of study derived from mathematics.

That statement was true.

Indeed, mathematics was used as a tool to describe physics.

However, in recent times, mathematics has developed independently, and there is even a trend where physics inversely helps the development of mathematics.

Moreover, like Edward Witten, it happened that a physicist won the Fields Medal (the Nobel Prize of the math world), which is the exclusive preserve of mathematicians.

To put it the other way around, the student surpasses the teacher.

In other words, it was like the belly button eating the belly.

In this situation.

“Th-this?!”

Chairman Hong ended up finding the final addendum on the 3rd place answer sheet, one he should never have found.

『P.S. Of course, I know this proof is not mathematically rigorous. However, ‘physical intuition’ and the ‘experimentally verified natural axioms’ corresponding to the theorem above are clearer theories than anything else. If one were to deny this, against what kind of universe would mathematics be describing its formulas (lol). Q.E.D.』

That’s right.

Just as people who do mathematics inwardly look down on people who do physics.

The opposite is also true.

No matter how much people who do mathematics claim something is theoretically perfect and beautiful.

Physicists often retort like this.

『So what natural phenomenon does that explain? Has it been experimentally proven?』

With just one word, their research achievements, to which they dedicated their entire lives, can be instantly treated as ‘pieces of fantasy’.

“Th-th-th-this insolent brat……!! Even though they’re just as much looked down upon by engineers……!!”

Of course, from the perspective of people in engineering colleges, they are both much the same.

If you ask, “What are you going to use that for and how will you make money?”, it was a reality where both had to keep their mouths shut.

And in the Republic of Korea, which looks down on basic science, this is even more true.

“Anyway, this kind of nonsensical solution……! All zero points! No, minus five hundred points!”

“Ah, you can’t! Professor! No, Chairman! Then the student’s parents will come and cause a fuss……!”

“Argh, what does that matter……! Give me the grading pen right now!!”

In fact, the graduate student was overjoyed right now.

That’s because he had gotten one over on the professor who always ignored him.

Thanks to that, the graduate student protected the 3rd place answer sheet as if it were his own.

“I know everything too! Professor, you secretly wrote and submitted a nuclear fusion turbulence calculation project to get research funding!”

“H-h-h-how did this guy know that……?! No! That was just to teach a lesson to those stupid physicists who don’t even know math……!”

“You received research funding anyway, right?! Then you should give me my lab fee! It’s been 39 months since my lab fee was last paid……!!”

A desperate struggle between the graduate student and the professor.

Flutter.

Due to the aftermath of the two, the 3rd place answer sheet fluttered far away and fell to the floor.

Thus, the front side with the 3rd place’s name and school written on it was revealed.

[Han Kyung-jun. Sinnong Middle School.]

The 3rd place answer sheet was, in fact, Kyung-jun’s answer sheet.

* * *

I took the KMO middle school exam.

『Certificate of Award – Bronze Prize

This student has been awarded this certificate (Bronze Prize) for achieving the above placement.

April XX, 2008』

And I received the certificate by delivery.

Was I happy?

To be honest, I felt nothing at all.

“In the end, there was more somehow fitting and solving with old knowledge than with the math I studied this time. Is that why it’s bronze?”

As expected, math geniuses are monsters from middle school.

Still, winning an award in the KMO after studying for a few days is something.

Having studied for about a week and achieved this much, there is a lot of room for future growth.

“What about him? Bronze is enough!”

Perhaps my mother thought similarly, and she lectured me.

But as I listened, I realized it wasn’t me she was lecturing, but herself.

“Mom was so sorry she couldn’t give you that one math tutoring that all other sons and daughters do, but our son won an award among those so-called kids. Mom is truly happy.”

My parents seemed very proud that I suddenly studied on my own without any cram school and won an award.

And it wasn’t just any award, but from the Math Olympiad where the so-called best kids from all over the country gather.

Rustle.

As I turned over the rest of the certificate, a sheet of paper fell out.

“A letter? Sent directly from the Korean Mathematical Society?”

A letter, specifically from the Korean Mathematical Society.

I unfolded the letter and read its contents.

Mother and Father, curious, peeked their heads out next to me and read it together.

“Kyung-jun! They want to meet you! And the Chairman of the Korean Mathematical Society himself!”

“Wow, is this real? To the extent of writing and sending a letter himself……!”

On the letter: Hong Seong-pyo, Chairman of the Korean Mathematical Society.

As if that old fogey wrote it himself…….

“He probably made his graduate student do it.”

……That doesn’t seem right.

Because there’s no way that old fogey grandpa would write it himself.

Even when I tried to get him to advise on math related to quantum algorithms before, he acted like such an old fogey.

“Well, reading it roughly, it seems like they want to meet me as they said. But why me? It’s just a bronze medal, hmm……”

“Of course, they must have recognized our son’s true worth!”

As expected, Mother and Father were very excited.

“Oh dear, what should we do? Could our son really end up going to a specialized high school, that science high school?”

“Honey…… Is this award really that great?”

“You! The Math Olympiad is such a great exam! They say that if you win an award there, you’ve practically secured a spot at a science high school!”

“Oh, I didn’t know…… But is it that much? Then getting contacted because they want to meet me means……”

“He might go to an even better place! You’ll have to earn a lot of money if you want to send our Kyung-jun to MIT. That was your dream, wasn’t it!”

“Hahaha……”

While his parents were raising their expectations to the point of completely going overboard.

“It’s fine. I’m not going.”

“Wh-what?!”

My reaction was not very pleased.

“What’s the point of doing math? It’s perfect for starving to death.”

Of course, physics majors also hear similar things from other engineering majors.

Still, comparing it to math is a huge disrespect.

No matter how bad physics majors are, as long as they do experiments, not just theory, there are places for them to go.

Did you know that?

That the main figures who led South Korea’s semiconductor industry this far were actually graduates of Seoul National University’s physics department in the 70s?

In fact, it had to be that way, as at the time, the SNU physics department’s admission results were number 1, surpassing even the medical school.

Moreover, from the moment I meet this Korean Mathematical Society old fogey, it’s obvious he’ll pour out all sorts of insults about physics.

He’s bound to throw a total fit telling me to unconditionally go to the math department.

No way I’d go, unless I was crazy.

On top of that.

“I will go to the physics department.”

Because I already have a goal set.

Whether before or after the regression.

It will never change.

* * *

I know better than anyone that the age of physics will come again in the future.

Although for the next 20 years, the physics department will continue to run through an even darker age.

After quantum computers are fully commercialized, things will change.

In the future, an era will surely come again when the physics department surpasses the medical school and takes the top spot.

The golden age of the physics department returning.

The one who knows the changes of that era better than anyone is me, in my second life after regression.

“Still, wouldn’t it be good to meet them……”

“Anyway, I just took the KMO for the experience.”

This time, the Math Olympiad was nothing more than a test to see how smart my head had become.

[Intelligence : 16]

It was just to see how much the rise in my Intelligence stat had affected things, as an experiment.

It was no more and no less than that.

In that sense, this experiment can be called a 100% complete success.

The 1 intelligence raised through the leap.

And the additional 3 intelligence that rose while studying for the KMO.

Thus, my Intelligence stat rose from the original 12 to 16.

As a result, I proudly won at least a bronze medal in the Math Olympiad within just one week, something I would never have been able to win an award in in the past.

“Also, a bronze medal is quite enough to go to a specialized high school, no problem at all.”

Just as Mother had said once before.

Anyway, just winning a KMO bronze medal is no problem at all for going to a specialized high school.

“No, but still, if you meet them this time, that could also be a specification and be better……”

“Of course, with just a bronze medal, getting into places like Seoul Science High School or KSA (KAIST attached Busan Science High School) might be a bit difficult. But it doesn’t matter. I’m going to take the Physics Olympiad in the second half of the year.”

It’s not just math that has an Olympiad.

The next very famous one is the Physics Olympiad.

I am confident I will proudly win the Grand Prize, the Gold Prize, there.

“Hold on! Don’t be too arrogant!”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Father raised his voice.

“No matter how confident you are, there are always plenty of kids in the world who are better than you! So no matter how well you think you’re doing, you should always be humble, and always approach opportunities like this with a learning attitude……”

“Father. I’m not being arrogant.”

It’s not real arrogance.

“Even if it were the high school division, not the middle school division, I’m really confident I could get the gold medal easily. This is really, not arrogance. Truly.”

Mechanics problems?

Just putting in the Lagrangian with classical mechanics knowledge is the end of it.

Electromagnetism problems?

No need to go up to the graduate level; just using the Imaging Method from undergraduate level electromagnetism is more than enough.

Or quantum mechanics problems?

Even at the undergraduate level, it’s only basic quantum mechanics, and you’re talking about quantum mechanics problems appearing in the Physics Olympiad for middle/high schoolers?

It’s so easy it’s not even worth mentioning.

I politely and clearly explained the above points, and then finished.

“And let me say again, I have absolutely no interest in math. From the beginning, math is merely a tool for physics, at best. I have no intention of properly delving into math. The Korean Mathematical Society, the moment you step foot in there, you’re caught in an antlion’s pit. This is truly certain. Now, I’ll go into my room and study physics.”

“K-Kyung-jun……!”

* * *

I quickly went into my room and closed the door.

Click.

And to emphasize that there would be no compromise, I even locked the door.

“The future ahead isn’t about judges or prosecutors, lawyers, doctors…… not even math, computer science, electronics, mechanics, materials, nuclear power, or biology.”

I muttered resolutely.

“It’s physics.”

Relativity theory was established by Einstein.

After quantum mechanics was born with the Copenhagen interpretation later on.

Like how the atomic bomb was born from America’s Manhattan Project.

In the near future, a great change of the century, spearheaded by quantum computers, will arrive.

At that time, those who will once again become the main players are physicists.

“The Republic of Korea, due to its rotten bureaucracy, failed to ride that wave and bounced itself out.”

In the past, before the regression.

I was the first to recognize that wave, but.

In the end, I was betrayed by the nation and its people.

The Republic of Korea chose the path of self-regression.

“But now, it’s different.”

However, having already experienced that event once.

Now, having regressed, it is different.

“In 20 years, the third revolution will occur.”

The revolution of world science.

The first one began when Newton saw an apple falling from a tree.

The second was started by Einstein, who boldly refuted Newton’s absolute theory.

“Its main players won’t be America, China, or Japan.”

The ensuing third one is, clearly.

“Without fail, it will happen starting with me. I will be the main player.”

It is undoubtedly the quantum computer revolution.