He was a distinguished Hungarian mathematician who was born on 26th March 1913 and died on 20 th September, 1996 .Paul Erdos,just like Einsten even a decade after his death people are talking about some of the unsolved mathematical puzzles he left behind. From his looks there is no doubt that he was a geek, a guru , a nerd at what he does but his solutions... read greek (Ramsey theory, probalistic method,Extramal Combinatorics etc of which i know nothing about!) and contribution in the mathematical are of much benefit today!
Of Paul Erdos life one article states :
"Many mathematicians are eccentric, and Erdös was more so than most. He never had a "proper job"; he had no cheque-book or credit card; he never learnt to drive, and never had health insurance. For most of his life, carrying almost no luggage, wearing sandals and an old suit, he travelled from university to university around the world.
He would bring the mathematical news, pose problems, inspire the locals with his brilliant ideas, and depart in a few days, leaving behind his exhausted hosts to work out the details of their joint work. His open mind, his ability to see the unexpected, and his willingness to wrestle with complications without the help of well-established tools made him a welcome guest wherever he went."
One of his unsolved puzzles is the "Erdos conjecture on arithmetic progressions"which according to wikipedia is priced at US dollars $5,000/= In 1984 Paul Erdos won the most lucrative award in mathematics, the Wolf Prize, and used most of the $50,000 prize money to establish a philanthropic scholarship in memory of his late parents.He also helped to establish an endowed lectureship, called the Turan Memorial Lectureship, in Hungary.
For a man who loved the integers/numbers Paul Erdos is to be feted as one of the 20th Century's Greats! - Siku-Moja
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