After deciding to attempt to prove the Goldbach Conjecture using two thods, Zhao Yi felt a sense of relief. Not having to make a choice was always best, even if it ant spending a few more Study Coins and taxing his brain a bit more.
If one way proved impassable halfway, he could always switch to the other path that was more promising.
And with that, he began to think.
He had previously thought more about the second thod: establishing a central line and viewing a large enough number, N, as the said central line.
If the number N is a pri number, then its double would be an even number, which could naturally be expressed as the sum of two pri numbers.
If the number N is not a pri number, then the task would be to take the pri number N as the central line and find all the symtrical numbers of pri numbers around it.
With that, he could begin his analysis.
As long as there is one number among these symtrical numbers that is pri, it could prove that ’any large enough number has symtrical pri numbers (including the number itself) on either side’, and the Goldbach Conjecture would thus naturally be valid.
Zhao Yi pondered this thod for a while. He found the simplest and most brutish way was to multiply all symtrical numbers together and analyze the largest factor of the resulting number.
As long as the largest factor was greater than or equal to N, it would naturally prove that it must contain a pri number.
However, simplicity and brutishness do not an easy. Multiplying all symtrical numbers produces a massively complex equation. Attempting to analyze it would be very difficult.
The generalized way of proof he considered, which involved proving that every combination of all pris (also including the pris themselves) covers all odds, was evidently very complex. At a glance, it was clear that the Sieve thod would have to be applied.
In the past, nearly all attempts to prove the Goldbach Conjecture used the Sieve thod.
Regardless of whether it’s mathematicians from other countries or Chen Jingrun who proved ’1 2’, they have all used the Sieve thod to analyze the Goldbach Conjecture to the extre. Most mathematicians believe that attempting to solve the Goldbach Conjecture solely with the Sieve thod is now impossible, evidenced by the lack of progress over the past forty-plus years.
Therefore, using the Sieve thod alone certainly won’t work.
Chen Ming’s research into the Goldbach Conjecture using the group theory provided Zhao Yi with a new perspective.
Thus, Zhao Yi fell into deep thought.
Even though he hadn’t written down a single character on his scrap paper, his mind played out many calculations and thods.
Ti seed to fly during this class.
Zhao Yi was still deep in thought when Fan Lei, sitting next to him, nudged him and said, "Class is over! Why are you still staring at the blackboard?"
"Oh, right."
Zhao Yi shook his head, packed his books, and prepared to leave.
As he was passing the podium, Hu Zhibin said to him, "Zhao Yi, did you learn anything?"
This question seed a bit inexplicable.
Hu Zhibin himself felt he was being a bit too nosy. His class hadn’t gone very well, and he felt nervous and bitter, feelings he couldn’t share with others.
In fact, Hu Zhibin was already used to Zhao Yi’s conduct in class. More than half a sester had passed and he had to get used to it whether he liked it or not. But during class, he never stopped glancing at Zhao Yi. Occasionally when he looked over and saw Zhao Yi asleep, he would feel relieved.
If Zhao Yi was not sleeping, but chatting with other students instead, Hu Zhibin would still feel relieved. That indicated Zhao Yi was not seriously paying attention to the lecture, and there would be no trouble regardless of what was said.
But this class was different.
Although Zhao Yi initially did doze off a bit, he soon perked up and began earnestly paying attention to the lecture. This situation led Hu Zhibin to feel incredibly frustrated. He habitually cast his gaze over to Zhao Yi and was t with Zhao Yi’s focused expression.
Focused?
What on earth was he focused on!
The content Hu Zhibin was teaching was basic knowledge, and he was certain that Zhao Yi didn’t even need to listen. But Zhao Yi was paying close attention and listening earnestly. He was constantly on edge, fearing he would say sothing erroneous.
Of course.
Zhao Yi had never actually done such a thing, but the pressure stemming from knowing there was a person with notable accomplishnts in the field of mathematics listening to him was imnse.
Hu Zhibin felt perturbed throughout the entire class. When the lesson was finally over, he noticed Zhao Yi still staring intently at the blackboard.
"What is he doing?"
"Did he actually fall asleep with his eyes open?"
"Or is he thinking about sothing?"
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Hu Zhibin eventually asked.
The response from Zhao Yi was unexpected. He stopped, nodded, and said, "I learned a great deal."
"Oh?" Hu Zhibin did not quite understand what Zhao Yi ant.
"I’ve decided on the thod that I will use to consider the Goldbach Conjecture."
"...Is that so..."
Hu Zhibin didn’t really know how to respond. Had he lectured on the number theory and pri numbers? How could listening to his class make one think of the Goldbach Conjecture? Could his calculus lecture really contain deeper anings?
...
After Zhao Yi and the others left the classroom, he went straight to the Biology building to find Dean Wu Yanping.
Wu Yanping had previously said to him to drop by her office.
This was Zhao Yi’s first visit to the Dean’s office. He had to ask two people for directions before he found the room. Knocking and entering, he heard a sowhat rough feminine voice saying, "Co in."
The voice made Zhao Yi think of Niu Lianhua.
Upon entering the room.
Zhao Yi t Wu Yanping.
While this wasn’t the first ti he’d seen Wu Yanping, they’d t two or three tis before, they hadn’t spoken directly and had only been introduced once. He hadn’t paid her much attention.
Now, sitting across from Wu Yanping, Zhao Yi found that she indeed bore so resemblance to Niu Lianhua.
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