Math Is Fun Forum

siva.eas

Member

Registered: 2005-09-17

Posts: 166

William James Sidis, Probably the Greatest Genius who ever lived

He could have been a household name like Einstein, Newton or Da Vinci had he chosen to apply his skills more productively.

has some of what he wrote on a range of different subjects.

On another note, here is an interesting article of which people like him don't suceed in life

Last edited by siva.eas (2007-11-02 07:55:54)

MathsIsFun

Administrator

Registered: 2005-01-21

Posts: 7,713

Re: William James Sidis, Probably the Greatest Genius who ever lived

Fascinating ... so intelligent.

But his life helped start the "burn-out" myth.

Lewis Terman, who studied gifted children "... found that gifted children did not fit the existing stereotypes often associated with them: they were not weak and sickly social misfits, but in fact were generally taller, in better health, better developed physically, and better adapted socially than other children." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Terman)

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"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

Jai Ganesh

Administrator

Registered: 2005-06-28

Posts: 48,384

Re: William James Sidis, Probably the Greatest Genius who ever lived

Thanks, siva.eas!
Excellent post! Nice and useful link!
Most of the world is unaware of child prodigies!

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It appears to me that if one wants to make progress in mathematics, one should study the masters and not the pupils. - Niels Henrik Abel.

Nothing is better than reading and gaining more and more knowledge - Stephen William Hawking.

LuisRodg

Real Member

Registered: 2007-10-23

Posts: 322

Re: William James Sidis, Probably the Greatest Genius who ever lived

Amazing. I wish I was that smart.