Orion Crest, Series_1

Chapter 129: Collatz conjecture

　　MRS conference is one of the regular academic activities of the American Materials Research Society, and it is also the most influential top-level conference in the field of materials science.

　　It covers almost all the research directions in the field of materials science, and its status is probably similar to that of the "International Congress of Mathematicians" in the field of materials science, in which almost all the big names in the field of materials science will appear in the meeting.

　　However, unlike the International Congress of Mathematicians, which is held once every four years, MRS is held twice a year, in spring and autumn. The spring is usually in Phoenix, Arizona, and the autumn is more consistent, usually in Boston, Massachusetts.

　　The purpose of the conference is primarily to exchange technologies, present results to industry, match wealthy companies with money-starved labs, and give peers a place to argue and quarrel.

　　Don't be surprised if someone throws their shoes at a presenter during a session. Instead, no one got into a fight in that conference, and everyone finished the session calmly, exchanged opinions, reached a consensus, and gave credit to their peers for their technology ...... That must have made people in the industry wonder if there was something wrong there.

　　The greater the big name, the more noisy it is.

　　This kind of situation is very difficult to see in the International Congress of Mathematicians.

　　In a sense, maths doesn't really have the same flavour as other sciences.

　　As a maths professor, Orion had no interest in bickering.

　　But for him, this conference was an opportunity.

　　Moreover, MRS had suddenly sent him an invitation letter, so there must be a lot of people who were interested in his research results.

　　Of course, even so, Orion didn't forget that he was a maths professor.

　　Even for the sake of seeing the "future era" after the tenth level, he had to look farther ahead, and couldn't neglect Maths, which determined the upper limit of the levels of other subjects.

　　On the last day of August, Orion tested two other students in the office of the Institute for Advanced Study.

　　Again, it was ten questions with a two-hour time limit.

　　After handing over the A4 paper with the questions to each of the two men, Orion picked the book from his own desk and held it in his hands as he flipped through it.

　　Time passed by minute by minute.

　　With the ringing of his mobile phone, Orion closed the book in his hand and looked over to the two men who were struggling with the paper.

　　"Time's up, let's see how you guys have learnt this month."

　　Hardy put down the biros in his hand with a headache on his face, and Franklin, who had also stopped writing, looked nervous.

　　"Professor, the time you gave me was too short," getting up and handing the test paper over to Orion's desk, Hardy had a bitter look on his face, "If I had been given ten more minutes, I would have been able to write out the next question."

　　"The length of time is not the point, and I'm not asking you to do every question, just show me what you know."

　　Taking the test paper from both of them, Orion spoke as he scanned the questions on it.