elativity,

11/25/12
Thinks He Can Prove It Wrong | TIME.com

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SCIENCE

12-Year-Old Genius Expands Einsteins Theory of Relativity, Thinks He

Can Prove It Wrong
By Michelle Castillo

March 26, 2011

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Could Einsteins Theory of Relativity be a few mathematical

equations away from being disproved? Jacob Barnett of Hamilton
County, Ind., who is just weeks shy of his 13t h birthday, thinks so.
And, hes got the solutions to prove it.
Barnett, who has an IQ of 170, explained his expanded theory of
relativity in a YouTube video. His mother Kristine Barnett, who
admittedly flunked math, did what every other mother would do if
her genius son started talking mathematical gibberish. She told him
to explain the whole thing slowly while she taped her son explaining
his take on the theory.
(More on T IME.com: See the top 10 troubled-genius movies)
While most of his mathematical genius goes over our heads, some
professors at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New
Jersey you know, the U.S. academic homeroom for the likes of
Albert Einstein, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and Kurt Gdel have
confirmed hes on the right track to coming up with something
completely new. For now, theyre encouraging Barnett to continue
doing what he likes to do, which is explaining calculus using a
whiteboard marker and his living room windows as seen in the video
above.
Im impressed by his interest in physics and the amount that he has learned so far, Institute for Advanced
Study Professor Scott Tremaine wrote in an email to the family. The theory that hes working on involves several of the toughest problems in
astrophysics and theoretical physics.
Anyone who solves these will be in line for a Nobel Prize, he added.
(More on T IME.com: See the 15 smartest toys for young geniuses)
Barnetts parents knew that there was something different with their son when he didnt speak until the age of two. He was diagnosed with Aspergers
syndrome, a mild form of autism, so they thought he might have problems in school. Instead, they were astounded when he started solving 5,000
piece puzzles by the age of 3. The 12-year-old taught himself calculus, algebra and geometry in two weeks, and can solve up to 200 numbers of Pi. He
left high school at the ripe old age of eight and has been attending college-level advanced astrophysics classes ever since.
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elativity,
11/25/12
Thinks He Can Prove It Wrong | TIME.com

Right now, Barnett is being recruited by Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis for a paid research position. We figure hell find a way to
pencil that in between dating his girlfriend and playing Halo: Reach, one of his favorite video games. Yes, he can play classical music by memory on
the piano, but he also enjoys watching shows on the Disney Channel and sci-fi movies. In many ways, hes your typical 12-year-old boy.
Einstein was 26 when he first published his Theory of Relativity. We figure that Jake has a couple of years to kick back and relax before he finally
debunks the big bang theory.
Im still working on that, he said. I have an idea, but Im still working out the details.
(More on T IME.com: Is genius born, or can it be learned?)

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