Who is the best mathematics in the world?

The Million-Dollar Question: Who’s Really the “Best” Mathematician on Earth?

Alright, let’s tackle a question that’s sparked countless debates: Who is the absolute best mathematician in the world? The truth is, trying to crown a single “best” is a bit like trying to catch smoke. Math is this sprawling, ever-growing universe, and mathematicians are out there exploring every nook and cranny, each with their own special set of skills. So, instead of chasing an impossible title, let’s celebrate some of the brilliant minds who’ve truly shaped the field and continue to light the way for others.

Legends of the Game:

Down through the ages, certain mathematicians have just blown everyone away. Take Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855), for instance. They called him the “Prince of Mathematicians,” and for good reason! He was a total rock star in number theory, geometry, statistics – you name it. Even his early work continues to influence number theory today. Then there’s Isaac Newton (1643-1727), who pretty much revolutionized science as we know it. He gave us calculus and figured out the laws of motion and gravity – no big deal, right? And who could forget Archimedes (around 287-212 BCE)? This guy was a geometry wizard and even foreshadowed integral calculus, which is essential for modern math. Of course, we can’t leave out Pythagoras (around 570-495 BC) and his famous theorem, or Euclid, the “father of geometry” himself. And let’s not forget Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), the most prolific mathematician ever, churning out nearly 900 books!

Modern Superstars and How We Recognize Them:

When you get to today’s math scene, figuring out who’s “best” gets even trickier. One way to get a sense of who’s making waves is to look at the big awards, like the Fields Medal and the Abel Prize.

• The Fields Medal: Think of this as the math world’s equivalent of an Oscar, but only for mathematicians under 40. They hand it out every four years to folks who’ve done some seriously mind-bending work and show crazy potential. It’s all about giving a boost to the young guns who are pushing the boundaries of math. Some notable winners? Jean-Pierre Serre was a whiz kid, snagging the medal at just 27 back in 1954. And Maryam Mirzakhani made history as the first woman to win it in 2014. Then there’s Grigori Perelman, who solved the Poincaré conjecture but turned down the Fields Medal in 2006 – talk about a mic drop!
• The Abel Prize: This one’s often called the “Nobel Prize of mathematics,” and it’s a huge deal. The King of Norway himself gives it out every year to mathematicians who’ve made a massive impact. Jean-Pierre Serre was the first to get it in 2003, and Andrew Wiles took it home in 2016 for finally cracking Fermat’s Last Theorem. In 2019, Karen Uhlenbeck became the first woman to win the Abel Prize. And just recently, in 2025, Masaki Kashiwara was honored for his contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory.

These awards shine a spotlight on some incredible mathematicians, no doubt. But let’s be real, there are tons of brilliant minds out there who might not get these accolades.

Andrew Wiles and the Mount Everest of Math Problems:

The story of Andrew Wiles and his obsession with Fermat’s Last Theorem is the stuff of legends. This problem, which basically anyone could understand, was posed way back in the 17th century and stumped mathematicians for over 350 years! Wiles locked himself away for seven years, wrestling with this beast until he finally tamed it. His proof, published in 1995, not only solved the unsolvable but also opened up a whole new world of research in number theory. Even though he was too old to get a Fields Medal by the time he solved it, he definitely deserved that Abel Prize in 2016.

The Adventure Never Ends:

Here’s the thing about math: it’s never really “done.” There are still tons of unsolved problems out there, just waiting for someone to crack them. Think about it:

• The Riemann Hypothesis: This one’s all about prime numbers and has been driving mathematicians crazy for ages.
• The P vs NP Problem: Can computers quickly solve problems that they can quickly verify? That’s the million-dollar question.
• The Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture: This involves elliptic curves, and it’s a real head-scratcher.
• The Twin Prime Conjecture: Are there infinitely many pairs of prime numbers that are just two numbers apart?

The quest to solve these puzzles is what keeps math alive and kicking, with new generations of mathematicians standing on the shoulders of giants, pushing the boundaries of what we know.

The Bottom Line:

So, who’s the “best” mathematician? Honestly, it’s all in the eye of the beholder. Awards are cool and all, but the real magic is in the collective effort of all those mathematicians, past and present, who’ve helped us understand the universe a little bit better. Math is a team sport, and every player brings something unique to the game. It’s that constant pursuit of knowledge that makes it so awesome.