Clay Mathematics Institute facts for kids
Motto: Dedicated to increasing and disseminating mathematical knowledge
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| Formation | 1998 |
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| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado, United States |
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President
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Martin R. Bridson |
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Key people
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Landon T. Clay Lavinia D. Clay Thomas Clay |
The Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) is a private, non-profit group that helps grow and share math knowledge. It was started in 1998 by a businessman named Landon T. Clay.
The CMI is most famous for its Millennium Prize Problems. These are seven super-hard math problems, and if someone solves one, they win a million dollars! Besides these problems, the CMI also supports young mathematicians and holds special events.
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How the Institute Works
The Clay Mathematics Institute is run by two main groups. One group is a team of scientists who decide which math projects and ideas to support. The other group is a board of directors, which includes members of the Clay family. They check and approve the decisions made by the scientific team.
The current president of the CMI is Martin R. Bridson. The institute's main office is in Denver, Colorado, USA, but its science activities are managed from Oxford, United Kingdom.
The Million-Dollar Math Problems
On May 24, 2000, the Clay Mathematics Institute announced the Millennium Prize Problems. These are seven very important math questions that no one has been able to solve for many years. The CMI offers US$1,000,000 to the first person who can solve each problem.
The idea for these problems was inspired by Hilbert's problems, which were a list of 23 math problems made in 1900. Those problems greatly influenced math in the 20th century. Out of Hilbert's original problems, only the Riemann hypothesis is also on the CMI's list.
For each of the seven problems, a famous mathematician wrote a clear description. This helps everyone understand exactly what needs to be solved.
The seven problems are:
- P versus NP
- The Hodge conjecture
- The Poincaré conjecture — This one has been solved by Grigori Perelman!
- The Riemann hypothesis
- Yang–Mills existence and mass gap
- Navier–Stokes existence and smoothness
- The Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture
Many famous mathematicians helped choose and present these problems, including Michael Atiyah, Pierre Deligne, and Andrew Wiles.
Other Special Awards
The Clay Research Award
The Clay Mathematics Institute also gives out an annual award called the Clay Research Award. This prize celebrates mathematicians who make big new discoveries in their field. Many brilliant mathematicians have received this award for their important work.
More Ways CMI Helps Math
Besides the big Millennium Prize Problems, the Clay Mathematics Institute does many other things to help math grow. They offer special fellowships for young mathematicians, which are like scholarships that last for two to five years. They also give shorter scholarships for specific projects or for writing math books.
The CMI also organizes summer schools, conferences, and workshops. These events are great for young mathematicians, from high school students to those just starting their careers. They also hold public talks to share the excitement of math with everyone. You can often find their published math papers online for free after a few months.
See also
In Spanish: Instituto Clay de Matemáticas para niños
