It has been 300 years since Sir Isaac Newton posed a very significant question, a mathematical question that is. Perhaps best known for his work on the theory of gravity and best beloved by children learning science everywhere as the man who got hit the head with an apple, the 1600s mastermind has been figured out by a 16 year old German teenager.
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| Sir Isaac Newton |
The London Sunday Times reported, "Shouryya Ray worked out how to calculate exactly the path of a projectile under gravity and subject to air resistance. The Indian-born teen said he solved the problem that had stumped mathematicians for centuries while working on a school project. Ray won a research award for his efforts and has been labeled a
genius by the German media, but he put it down to "curiosity and
schoolboy naivety."
Having been told by his teachers that there were no real solutions to the problems proposed to the class, Ray believed there was no harm in trying to figure out if this were true.
This is perhaps proof that teachers, including Newton himself, are never the center of the universe (classroom), but instead must hand over certain problems to others (students) and let them work them out for themselves.
And if solving Newton's problem was not enough, Ray also solved a second problem from the 19th century. To read more about Ray and the solutions he has reached please go to :
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/27/german-teen-solves-300-year-old-mathematical-riddle-posed-by-sir-isaac-newton/?test=latestnews#ixzz1w7W9gmzT
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