Story #7:
Did you know that if you are good in #math, then you could end up acting in a #BenAffleck - #MattDamon movie? Awesome, right?
In 1997, Professor Daniel Kleitman (now a professor emeritus at #MIT) met two men who were writing a screenplay on a troubled genius mathematician. The two men were #MattDamon and #BenAffleck and the film was #Good_Will_Hunting.
Damon and Affleck wanted to hear #mathematicians talk about #mathematics, so that the dialogues in the movie would be more accurate. So, Kleitman invited Tom Bohman to join him in giving Damon and Affleck a quick lecture on math.
Damon also inquired about a plausible equation that the main character could solve in the movie, and Kleitman and Bohman suggested the computer science problem P = NP.
An adjacency matrix and Cayley's formula were actually used in the film. (Do not miss out to see the attached images where Matt Damon solves the problems).
Kleitman was cast in a role as an extra and also received a thank you in the film’s credits and attend the premiere party at the Burren pub in Somerville.
Sources:
<1> “How an MIT Professor Helped Good Will Hunting Get the Math Right—and Landed a Tiny Role in the Film” by JAY LONDON - MIT Alumni Association webpage.
<2> Mathematics in Good Will Hunting II: Problems from the Students Perspective by Horváth, Korándi and Szabó (2010).
<3> Movie- Good Will Hunting.
<4> Google images.
#math #mathstories #story7
Did you know that if you are good in #math, then you could end up acting in a #BenAffleck - #MattDamon movie? Awesome, right?
In 1997, Professor Daniel Kleitman (now a professor emeritus at #MIT) met two men who were writing a screenplay on a troubled genius mathematician. The two men were #MattDamon and #BenAffleck and the film was #Good_Will_Hunting.
Damon and Affleck wanted to hear #mathematicians talk about #mathematics, so that the dialogues in the movie would be more accurate. So, Kleitman invited Tom Bohman to join him in giving Damon and Affleck a quick lecture on math.
Damon also inquired about a plausible equation that the main character could solve in the movie, and Kleitman and Bohman suggested the computer science problem P = NP.
An adjacency matrix and Cayley's formula were actually used in the film. (Do not miss out to see the attached images where Matt Damon solves the problems).
Kleitman was cast in a role as an extra and also received a thank you in the film’s credits and attend the premiere party at the Burren pub in Somerville.
Sources:
<1> “How an MIT Professor Helped Good Will Hunting Get the Math Right—and Landed a Tiny Role in the Film” by JAY LONDON - MIT Alumni Association webpage.
<2> Mathematics in Good Will Hunting II: Problems from the Students Perspective by Horváth, Korándi and Szabó (2010).
<3> Movie- Good Will Hunting.
<4> Google images.
#math #mathstories #story7
