Sometimes Being First Means Seeing the End Before Anyone Else

Determination and effort propelled Jacob Tsimerman to the top of the math world. But now that he’s won a Fields Medal, he worries that the field is in jeopardy.

From an early age, Jacob Tsimerman showed great mathematical promise. “My mom told me, ‘You don’t have to be a mathematician just because you’re good at it,’” he said. “I didn’t really take her seriously.”

Caroline Gutman for Quanta Magazine

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