Rhode Island (US): A Texas banker is upping the ante to USD 1 million for whoever solves a tricky problem that`s been dogging mathematicians since the 1980s.
The Providence, Rhode Island-based American Mathematical Society, on Tuesday said USD 1 million will be awarded for the publication of a solution to the Beal Conjecture number theory problem.
Dallas banker D Andrew Beal first offered the Beal Prize in 1997 for USD 5,000.
Over the years, the amount has grown. American Mathematical Society spokesman Michael Breen says a solution is more difficult than the one for a related problem, Fermat`s Last Theorem, which didn`t have a published solution for hundreds of years.
Beal is a self-taught mathematician and says he wants to inspire young people to pursue math and science.
PTI
