20-year-old from Atyrau solves famous problem of antiquity
This problem, along with quadrature of the circle and duplication of the cube for many centuries, was considered generally impossible to solve. The problem is to divide the given angle into three equal parts using the compass and the ruler. The impossibility of such a construction was even proved by the French mathematician Pierre Laurent Wantzel in 1837.
Akylbek first heard about this problem from his teacher at facultative mathematics lessons at the age of 15. Since then, he spent most of his free time trying to solve it.
"On mathematical websites I read that many people are still trying to solve this problem and, I can't deny, the competition motivated me a lot. To date, it has been proved that, although the trisection of an angle is generally impossible with a compass and a ruler, there are curves with which the construction is possible: a Pascal snail or trisectrix, Nicomedes conchoid, conic sections, Archimedes spiral, and also with the help of Flat origami. I also wanted to adhere to the conditions of the problem. And then I turned to Morley's Theorem and tried to solve the problem through Lamun's circle, but, unfortunately, reached a dead-end, and then I came up with the idea of using Hilbert's proof with Hyperbol's Kipert and the rule of the third circle", Akylbek said.
Akylbek's solution of the oldest problem is presented on the European Mathematical Society's website.
What is more striking than the discovery itself is Akylbek's natural mathematical gift - he doesn't have masters or even bachelor's degree.
"I didn't want to", Akylbek said. - Plus, I didn't have time, I was immersed in the problem".
In order not to depend financially on his parents, Akylbek got a job in a computer store. He says, he is very grateful to them for not bothering him with instructions. Now they can surely be proud of their son, whose name is written in the history of mathematics.
As soon as Akylbek realized that he had found a solution to the problem, he immediately wrote to the European Mathematical Society. And 2 months later received an answer that the high commission is ready to nominate him for the prize in 2018 during the next European Mathematical Congress. He received many rave reviews from mathematicians around the world. Akylbek says he was afraid that someone would discover inaccuracies in his calculations, but, fortunately, to this day no one has presented such evidence.
He does not hide that he wants to receive the Abel Prize - analogue of of the Nobel Prize in mathematics.