Calculation Quest

摘要

Professor Beatrice Ghosian, flanked by two male colleagues, was about to announce the winner of Calculation Quest 2055. "Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "as you know, we invited the global public to participate in a unique computational experiment. Simply by watching our series on their Personal Entertainment Consoles, viewers have donated a portion of processor time to be used on a massive calculation chosen by our panel of experts. "Initially, 50 calculations were proposed by our team of cultural commentators, style gurus and celebrity mathematicians. Over the weeks, that list was reduced through a rigorous process of peer review, group challenges and luck, until just three were left. "Number one: calculation of the complete field equation of non-perturbative M-theory. Number two: to find a solution to world poverty and inequality. Number three: to create a perfect work of art. I now hand you over to Zane Budolsky, professor of comparative studies at Pennine University, Alston."