How to Pronounce Grigori Perelman

Meaning and Context

Grigori Perelman, born in 1966 in the Soviet Union, is a mathematician of unparalleled genius whose work irrevocably altered the landscape of modern geometry and topology. He achieved legendary status in the mathematical community by providing the first complete proof of the Poincaré conjecture, a century-old problem that was one of the seven prestigious Millennium Prize Problems designated by the Clay Mathematics Institute. His groundbreaking proof, which he posted on the arXiv preprint server in 2002 and 2003, utilized and advanced Richard Hamilton's Ricci flow program, effectively demonstrating that a simply connected compact three-dimensional manifold is topologically a sphere. Perelman's story is equally defined by his profound reclusiveness and principled dissent from the academic establishment; he famously declined the Fields Medal in 2006 and later, in 2010, rejected the one-million-dollar Millennium Prize, stating that his contribution was no greater than that of other mathematicians and criticizing the ethical standards of the mathematical community. This act cemented his public image as an enigmatic figure who values the purity of mathematical discovery over fame and financial reward, making him a central and enduring subject in the history of mathematics, discussions on mathematical prizes, and the philosophy of scientific recognition.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The standard transliteration of his name from Russian Cyrillic (Григорий Перельман) is "Grigori Perelman." The most common alternative spelling is "Grigory Perelman," which is another accepted English transliteration. A frequent error is the misspelling of his first name as "Gregory" or "Grigoriy," adding an extraneous 'y'. His surname is sometimes misspelled as "Perlman" (omitting the second 'e') or "Perelmann" (adding an extra 'n'), likely due to phonetic misinterpretation or confusion with other surnames. In academic citations and searches, it is crucial to use the correct "Perelman" to locate his seminal preprints. The Russian patronymic, Yakovlevich, is sometimes included in full formal references as Grigori Yakovlevich Perelman.

Example Sentences

After years of intense scrutiny, leading topology experts confirmed that Grigori Perelman's proof of the Poincaré conjecture was correct and complete.

In a move that stunned the world, Perelman declined the Fields Medal, stating that the judgment of the international mathematical community was sufficient recognition for his work.

Journalists seeking an interview found the reclusive mathematician virtually inaccessible, preferring the solitude of his St.

Petersburg apartment to the glare of international acclaim.

Historians of science often contrast Perelman's austere dedication to pure mathematics with the contemporary culture of academic prestige and lucrative prizes.

His work on the Ricci flow not only solved a millennium-old problem but also opened new avenues for research in geometric analysis.

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