Math more delicious than a hamburger?

The theme of an international winter school supported by the Pohang Mathematics Institute of Pohang University of Science and Technology, or Postech, is the “Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer Conjecture.” The conjecture is related to a mathematical question if the answer to an equation that defines an elliptic curve as a rational number is finite or infinite. This was created in 1965 by Bryan Birch and Peter Swinnerton-Dyer, two mathematicians at Cambridge University. It was chosen as one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems listed by the Clay Mathematics Institute, which has offered a prize of 1 million U.S. dollars for the first correct proof.

John Coates, professor emeritus at Postech and a world-renowned authority in number theory who is leading the program, says China`s rise in number theory is “amazing.” Having produced three winners of the prestigious Fields Medal, which is often dubbed the Nobel Prize of mathematics, Japan is a world power in math. China is catching up quickly, however. China`s space development programs are based on its solid foundation in basic science. In the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development`s Program for International Student Assessment, 15-year-old Korean students were the world`s best in mathematical performance. So why has no Korean won a Fields Medal?

The primary blame goes to Korean mathematics education, which focuses on rote learning and problem solving aimed at scoring high on the college entrance exam. In such a system, mathematics is nothing but one of the subjects students must study to enter university. Few Korean students truly enjoy and understand math. Kim Yong-un, a former mathematics professor at Hanyang University who has made great efforts to make math popular, said in his recent book, “The lack of logos is blocking our country`s entry into the club of first-rate countries.” He said the social atmosphere, which places violence over dialogue and debates over protests, is related to the low level of mathematics in Korea.

Mitsuo Yoshizawa, a mathematics professor at Obirin University in Japan, has given math lectures at some 100 elementary and secondary schools across the country with items not included in textbooks. “If you want to do it well, you have to like it first,” he said. In his book "Math Stories Are More Delicious Than Hamburgers,” he tells children what an interesting subject math is through intriguing games and stories.

In Korea, the Education, Science and Technology Ministry has recently announced that it will shift the focus of math education from problem solving to concepts and principles while strengthening education through storytelling. Perhaps this will enable the next generation to learn math for fun and solve the million-dollar question.

Editorial Writer Chung Sung-hee (shchung@donga.com)