“As far as I am concerned, the Riemann Hypothesis remains open,” said Martin Bridson, president of Clay Mathematics Institute, when asked about the claim by Hyderabad-based Kumar Eswaran of solving the problem that has puzzled mathematicians for past 162 years. Riemann Hypothesis is one of the Millennium Prize problems, for which $1,000,000 had been announced by the CMI from their inception in 2000. The problems are considered “important classic questions that have resisted solution over the years”.
The Riemann Hypothesis, postulated by German mathematician G.F.B. Riemann, is about prime numbers and their distribution. While the distribution does not follow any regular pattern, Riemann believed that the frequency of prime numbers is closely related to an equation called the Riemann Zeta function.
“I am surprised by the tone in which respectable publications in India are treating the claim that the Riemann Hypothesis has been proved. The speculation is rash and it would be wise to investigate more seriously about why leading journals and specialists in the field have not accepted this proposed proof,” said Mr. Bridson.
Kumar Eswaran’s claim of solving the equation has been in the news since 2016. Mr. Eswaran, who is a faculty member at the Sreenidhi Institute of Science and Technology, could not be reached for comment. “I do not recall any contact from the author and I am sceptical about the merit of the review process that is alluded to in newspapers,” said Mr. Bridson, who said institute would be scrupulous in following the stated rules to evaluate claims that one of the Millennium Prizes has been solved.
On the website of Clay Mathematics Institute, the final word on Riemann Hypothesis is: “The problem is unsolved”.
