Adding Fun into the Equation

World-renowned Mathematician Peter Frankl visited NTU to perform an intriguing mix of street acts and Mathematics. Nicole Loh finds out more.

By Nicole Loh

You would think that mathematics and street performance go together like chalk and cheese — they don’t.

On 10 Feb, Hungarian-born Mathematician Peter Frankl combined the two during a performance in NTU. The performance, which was open to the public, was held at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS).

It was the mathematical superstar’s fourth visit to Singapore.

Dressed in a multi-coloured jumpsuit, the quirky Mr Frankl opened the evening with some mathematical riddles. Between equations, he showcased his performance skills using gigantic playing cards and other props such as rubber balls.

CIRCUS ENTERTAINMENT: Mr Frankl captivates the audience with his repertoire of juggling skills.
PHOTO: VIMALA D/O GANAVALU

The 60-year-old challenged the audience to take on a famous mathematical problem that he created — the Frankl’s Union-Closed Conjecture.

TAKING ON THE IMPOSSIBLE: Mr Frankl challenges the audience to solve his famous mathematical problem.
PHOTO: VIMALA D/O GANAVALU

The conjecture states: If F is a finite non-trivial union-closed family of finite sets, then some element appears in at least half the members of F.

While anyone with a pen and paper can attempt it, the seemingly elementary problem has remained open for 35 years.

On why the conjecture is still unsolved, Dr Daniel Moskovich, a research fellow from SPMS, said: “I think it’s been open for 35 years because it’s a genuinely profound conjecture, and genuinely profound truths are usually either trivial or very difficult”.

Dr Moskovich believes that proving or falsifying Frankl’s conjecture will require a new and ingenious idea.

He said: “The statement itself looks banal but it points towards a deep truth. Solving it will surely require the kind of profound insight that will really propel our mathematical understanding.”

Dr Moskovich also said that “lots of people have spent sleepless nights thinking it over, trying to figure out why it is true or even whether it is true”.

This was the case for Sean Pek, 17, a Year Five student from NUS High School.

He said: “Since I got home, I have been trying to figure out Frankl’s motivation behind the conjecture so I can understand it better.”

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: A member of the audience being treated to a card game.
PHOTO: VIMALA D/O GANAVALU

While the audience attempted to solve the problems posed, Mr Frankl entertained the room with an array of tricks like juggling pins and balancing balls.

Peter Frankl uses street performing as a method of communicating mathematics. As a master of both fields, he feels that juggling is something that gets people to stop and pay attention.

Since obtaining a national qualification as a stage performer in Hungary, the world-renowned mathematics populariser has traveled to more than 80 countries.

Mr Frankl has been living in Japan since 1990. There, he gained celebrity status with his television programme — Mathematica, which features a mix of juggling, magic tricks and entertaining Mathematics.

He commended those who attempted to solve his problem and highlighted that determination was an important key to excelling in Mathematics.

“As mathematicians, we should just be courageous,” he said, calling for more volunteers to come forth and attempt the four riddles he posed.

Annabelle Kwok, 21, a third-year student from SPMS, found the performance interesting as it is unlike what she pursues academically. The Mathematics major felt that Mr Frankl’s demonstration cast the subject in a different light.

“The types of problems he posed and the way he delivered the content really makes you see how Mathematics can be fun. His performances make the topic less dry than the typical theories we study in school,” she said.