«Quand la réalité déjoue l'intuition»
par Jean-Marie De Koninck
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Wednesday March 29,
8 p.m.
Pavillon Jean-Coutu
2940 chemin Polytechnique
Salle S1-151
Free admission and vin d'honneur
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Abstract
It is widely-known that intuition is the core of mathematician's activities. However, faced with certain problems, intuition can be misleading. The solution is often well hidden, and intuition not only does not always lead to it, it can even make it more remote. With selected examples in geometry, in probability theory and number theory, we will point out some pitfalls mathematicans should watch out for. This will be illustrated by presenting two conjectures, each totally plausible, and establishing that at least one of them must be false.
Biography
Jean-Marie De Koninck is professor at the Département de mathématiques et de statistique of the Université Laval since 1972. Author of five books and approximately fifty scientific research papers, he hosted and did research on 29 episodes of the TV series "C'est mathématique!" (2000, 2001) broadcasted on Canal Z, Canal Savoir and TFO.
Swimming analyst for Radio-Canada television since the 1976 Olympic Games, and also a swimming coach at his university, he decided in 1984 on an original way to fund his team: he had his swimmers drive people home when they had too much to drink. This experience led to the creation of Operation Red Nose that has now crossed the boarders.
During his career, Professor De Koninck received many honors and distinctions among which are the Order of Canada in 1994, the Ordre national du Québec in 1999, and the 2004 Adrien-Pouliot Prize of the Canadian Mathematical Society. In January 2006, he was also nominated "Scientist of the Year 2005" by Radio-Canada's scientific radio show Années lumières.
Grandes Conférences du CRM
The CRM's "Grandes conférences" series invites scientists with a gift for communicating the most exciting recent developments in mathematics to a curious general public. From cryptography and quantum computing to chaos in meteorological or financial systems, and brain imaging or revolutions in biotechnology, all of the conferences reveal the power and beauty of cutting-edge mathematical research in a language accessible to all.
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