In a bold and unprecedented move, Danny Calcaben, a mathematics educator from a public high school in San Narciso, Quezon, has reached out to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. online, with claims of a groundbreaking discovery in the field of mathematics. This development has garnered significant attention on social media platforms, particularly Facebook and Twitter, sparking controversy.
Calcaben asserted that he had formulated a solution to two of the most elusive problems in number theory: the Goldbach conjecture and the twin prime conjecture. His breakthrough, which he describes as a new formula related to prime numbers, is poised to revolutionize the field. The educator highlights the potential implications of his work for cryptography, suggesting that it could significantly enhance internet security.
In his letter dated July 20, 2024, addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Calcaben expressed his concerns about the potential for plagiarism and the challenges he faces in protecting his discovery. He referenced a previous instance where an academic’s work was allegedly stolen by a reviewer, underscoring the risks inherent in the publication process.
Calcaben’s appeal to the President is rooted in his desire to ensure that this discovery is recognized and protected as a valuable national asset. He emphasized the importance of this breakthrough in potentially redeeming the Philippines’ recent poor performance in the PISA test on creative thinking, envisioning the nation being celebrated as the birthplace of this pivotal mathematical formula.
The post quickly went viral, with many users expressing a mix of skepticism and support. On Twitter, a user criticized the approach, suggesting that Calcaben should submit his work to a preprint server and subsequently to a journal for peer review.
The user emphasized that political figures would have limited influence in the academic validation process and questioned the involvement of the media in this matter. The tweet reads “Bakit viral ito sa Facebook??? This is so unnecessary. Publish it sa isang preprint server tapos sa isang journal for peer review. Walang magagawa mga pulitko diyan. At bakit may mga nagtatag ng RTIA??? WTF [“Why is this viral on Facebook??? This is so unnecessary. Publish it on a preprint server and then in a journal for peer review. Politicians can’t do anything about it. And why are people tagging RTIA??? WTF]”
Despite the backlash, Calcaben has indicated his intention to announce his discovery to the mathematical society and present it in a time-stamped video presentation. He seeked the President’s opinion to protect and disseminate his work, hoping for guidance on how to navigate the complexities of academic publication while safeguarding his discovery from potential plagiarism.
The mathematical community and the broader public will undoubtedly follow this story closely as it unfolds. Calcaben’s audacious appeal to the President underscores the high stakes involved in groundbreaking academic discoveries and highlights the challenges faced by researchers in protecting their intellectual property. Whether this claim will withstand the scrutiny of peer review and be validated by the global mathematical community remains to be seen.
As of this writing, the educator has locked his profile, and no statement has been released since.
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