Australian - Mathematician | July 17, 1975 -
A lot of the math that I do, it's not sort of premeditated. I talk online or with a colleague, and I get interested, and I just follow where it leads.
Terence Tao
TalkFollowWhereGetJustOnline
I enjoy a good meal, a good vacation, or a good movie, much as anyone else would.
GoodVacationEnjoyGood MovieMeal
When you're concentrating hard, hours can fly by, and it's just you and a math problem.
FlyProblemYouHardJustHours
If there is something that I should know how to do but don't, it bugs me. I feel like I have to sit down and work out exactly what the problem is.
WorkMeFeelProblemDownKnow
I was never very good at school with... humanities... anything which was more a matter of opinion.
GoodSchoolOpinionMatterNever
There might be a hidden structure in pi that we simply haven't discovered.
HiddenStructureMightSimply
You want to get to the top of the cliff. But that's not what you focus on immediately. You focus on the next ledge just beyond your reach, because you need to do one clever thing to get up there. And then, once you get there, you do it again. A lot of this is rather boring and not very glamorous. But you can't jump cliffs in a single bound.
FocusReachYouJumpWantBoring
I have been lucky to find very good collaborators who have taught me a lot, have introduced me to several new fields of mathematics, or have shown me new insights.
GoodMathematicsMeFindNewLucky
Mathematicians are fairly cheap.
CheapMathematiciansFairly
When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to be a mathematician, but I had no idea what that entailed.
Growing UpGrowingUpIdeaKnewHad
Most of what I do does not save lives.
MostSaveDoesLives
Math research is more like a marathon.
ResearchMarathonMoreMathLike
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