Deciphering 'all this mess'

“After this, I hope there will be people who will profit by deciphering all this mess.” This is how Évariste Galois (1811-1832) ended the letter to his friend Auguste Chevalier.

By Kim Sang-hyunThe author is a professor of mathematics at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study.

“After this, I hope there will be people who will profit by deciphering all this mess.” This is how Évariste Galois (1811-1832) ended the letter to his friend Auguste Chevalier. It was already dawn, and the night was too short to write everything about the great discovery. The morning came, and the 20-year-old Galois headed for a duel. The letter became his will. The funeral of the revolutionary fighting to end the monarchy developed into a riot of the Republicans. This is depicted in "Les Misérables" (1980) as “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

However, he was completely disregarded as a mathematician. In his school days, he was considered a snob who pretended to be a genius. He failed to get into the university of his choice twice. A teacher who administered the high school graduation exam said that he had never seen a student who knew so little. One math test supervisor believed in his genius and that he could get into another university.

Évariste Galois (1811-1832) [KIM JI-YOON]

The topic of his research was as broad as his ambition. He wanted to find a solution to all polynomial equations. He discovered that all polynomial equations had hidden symmetry. It was a revolutionary idea, but his explanation was clumsy. Even great mathematicians like Augustin-Louis Cauchy, Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss and Siméon Denis Poisson did not recognize the value. Later, the mathematical world began to realize the greatness of his discovery. Galois’ discovery he made during a year of imprisonment due to revolutionary activities and the last letter containing his findings are considered the most profound literature.

The more I review students, their talents seem to be a treasure hidden in the field. It is hard to gauge until it is fully pronounced. I use various standards, but I fear being remembered in history as an examiner who turned down Galois or Einstein. What I try to do is to be in the student’s shoes. Galois’ discovery remains today because his friend Chevalier believed in the value of the treasure.