12 Year Old With 170 IQ Is a Math Prodigy

[BlackShoes]

Is he actually being offered research positions? This was stuff I was expected to know or the first term of my undergraduate degree. Obviously a gifted 12 year old, but he's a way off conducting serious research.

 

[tagutcow]

Originally Posted by BlackShoes

Is he actually being offered research positions? This was stuff I was expected to know or the first term of my undergraduate degree. Obviously a gifted 12 year old, but he's a way off conducting serious research.

I didn't watch all the videos, but I agree that this seems like primer stuff. There are no conclusions that he arrived at by himself, and nothing aproaching the higher mathematics in Good Will Hunting.

Hell, I gave a class presentation on General Relativity in the 7th grade, and here I am 20+ years later trading gay sex joaks with Kwilk on the internets.

I will say that if he does have Asperger's, it doesn't seem particularly apparent to me. He sounds like a regular 12-year-old boy to me, and isn't droney or inexpressive like many Asperger's kids.

 

[willpower]

Thanks for the dose of reality, fellas. He's obviously not that smart. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...elativity.html

 

[tagutcow]

Originally Posted by willpower

Thanks for the dose of reality, fellas. He's obviously not that smart.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...elativity.html

Nobody said he wasn't smart. Juding from the article (and the professor's rather cagey comment), he could very well be a real-deal savant.

People were just saying, judging from his YouTube videos, that he seemed to be simply regurgitating mathematics. There's a world of difference in difficulty between understanding other people's theorems and creating your own.

 

[Jayhawk1412]

I'm not that impressed.

He's wearing a fleece and it's sunny.

Oh, and he watches the science channel then regurgitates what he see's.

Cool.

 

[*#..]

Smart kid, I took a class on this subject, and he is 100% correct. I saw about half of it, and I'm too lazy to watch the other 9 minute half. I'm impressed he knows this much at such a young age, also teaching himself calculus, trig, etc. He has a lot of potential.

 

[fuji]

Don't know why they posted that video with the news article. Its really simple and some of his videos are much more complex.

 

[Lel]

Originally Posted by Fraiche

Nothing classier than adults trying to put down a random 12 year old kid that shows an ability that exceeds their own.
Jesus christ, seriously, stay classy Styleforum

EDIT: Actually, I just noticed it's only a Youtube link and not the actual article that I stumbled across (which portrayed him as fairly normal, said he liked guitar hero and stuff). Seriously, as long as this kid can still enjoy kid stuff and hang out with other kids I don't see the link to him being socially inept. My friends aren't the people I sit around with discussing theoretical physics and debating international politics, they're the ones I get drunk with and do dumb stuff.

 

[Monaco]

Was that whiteboard joke an attempt at humor?

Anyway, I think he is pretty cool. More social than my teen cousin who is totally anti-social and gives me one worded responses, two if I'm lucky.

 

[Blackhood]

Has anyone thought that maybe he sounds like he is "regurgitating" maths because he is making videos explaining the concepts?

Its like Wikipedia because they are both for the same purpose; explaining complex **** to normal people. The fact he has managed to dumb down a subject does not mean his is in fact dumb.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by tagutcow

Hell, I gave a class presentation on General Relativity in the 7th grade, and here I am 20+ years later trading gay sex joaks with Kwilk on the internets.
Hey **** you too, man. I had a 4.0 in HS. I was going places, maaan!

 

[toslat]

I think there is always a depth and breadth dimension to abilities. The narrower your breadth, the faster you can increase your depth. If you are lucky to get matched with something you have an affinity for, then you can really improve your depth much faster.

I think all people are exceptional in one way/thing or another, just that most never find out what it is, and end up living their live in mediocrity, which is not bad if you are happy IMO.

 

[matik23]

 

[superego]

Originally Posted by Blackfyre

His social skills are going to be all screwed up. A mind on that level is so beyond all but a few people.

It's prone to be less of an issue in adulthood, if it's any consolation. And it seems to me he's pretty well-adjusted--good to see his parents aren't too singularly focused on his intellectual gifts.