For the week ending 28 August 2010 / 17 Elul 5770
Turned Down a Million
"I don't deserve this – an American researcher's contribution to this breakthrough was no less than mine."
This is how Russian mathematician Gregory Perlman explained his refusal to accept a prize of a million dollars for his solution of a mathematical puzzle known as one of the seven "Mysteries of the Millennium".
In a press interview Perlman explained that his main reasons for turning down the coveted prize were his criticism of the mathematical community's judgment and the feeling that an American mathematician named Hamilton was equally deserving of the award.
The money he refused to accept will go instead to further scientific research.
