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Saturday, October 28, 2006

A Genius is Made; Not Born


I first learned of Philip Emeagwali an African mathematican and scientist, while I was studying Calculus III. I was both astonished and delighted with his remarkable discoveries, and with his brilliance. Researching to learn more, I came across an interview where Emeagwali humbly stated that he was not born a genius, but that it was through early study, and hard work that enabled him to reach such accomplishments.

Emegwali stated that his father would have him solve 100 problems everyday. Now, as an educator, that was music to my ears. It was also an inspiration for me to continue to study, and work hard on my endeavors.

Republished From: www.emeagwali.com


CNN Calls Emeagwali:A FATHER OF THE INTERNET
Asking: "Who is the Father of the Internet?" is like asking: Who invented the supercomputer that gave rise to the Internet.
In reality, no one individual invented the Internet alone. It has many fathers, as well as mothers, uncles, and aunts. It was not even born at one place or time. Instead, it grew organically and incrementally, following trails that are non-intersecting.

Take the trail of Philip Emeagwali, whom CNN called"A Father of the Internet."
Emeagwali theorized that 65,000 computers around the Earth could forecast the weather. His theoretical supercomputer, with 65,000 nodes, is known today as the Internet.
Using 65,000 processors, he invented a formula that inspired the reinvention of the supercomputer as thousands of electronic brains that occupies the space of four tennis courts.
Bill Clinton explained, in a televised speech (as president) that Emeagwali's formula helped give rise to the age of information.
Yet his invention is one that, unfortunately, few of us recognize. Certainly, inventions such as this deserve better. After all, can you send your email without computers and the Internet?
Theorized Internet-Supercomputer invented by Emeagwali.
Emeagwali's Discoveries Helped REINVENT THE SUPERCOMPUTER
The word "computer" was coined 700 years ago. If history repeats itself, the supercomputer of today will become the computer of tomorrow.

Emeagwali's discovery of a formula that enables supercomputers powered by 65,000 electronic brains called "processors" to perform the world's fastest calculations inspired the reinvention of supercomputers - from the size and shape of a love seat to a thousand-fold faster machine that occupies the space of four tennis courts,costs 400 million dollars a piece, powered by 65,000 processors and that can perform a billion calculations per second.
Emeagwali solved the most difficult problem in supercomputing by reformulating Newton's Second Law of Motion as 18 equations and algorithms; then as 24 million algebraic equations; and finally he programmed 65,000 processors to solve those 24 million equations at a speed of 3.1 billion calculations per second.
Emeagwali's 65,000 processors, 24 million equations and 3.1 billion calculations were three world records that garnered international headlines, made mathematicians rejoice, and caused his fellow Africans to beam with pride.

When Emeagwali won the 1989 Gordon Bell prize, the Nobel Prize of Supercomputing, then-president Bill Clinton called him one of the great minds of the Information Age. The New African magazine readers ranked him as history's greatest scientist of African descent.