In a prison cell near Seattle, a man serving a 25-year sentence taught himself advanced mathematics and ended up publishing a groundbreaking paper from behind bars.
Christopher Havens, a high school dropout, found himself with a lot of time and a desire to change his life. He decided to dedicate himself to studying math.
He got his hands on some basic textbooks and started from the beginning. He quickly worked his way through algebra, calculus, and then into much more complex fields.
His self-study led him to a very old mathematical puzzle involving something called continued fractions. It was a problem that had stumped professional mathematicians for some time.
Working alone in his cell with just pen and paper, Havens managed to find a solution. He figured out a way to discover new patterns in a whole class of numbers.
He wrote a letter to a mathematics journal, hoping someone would look at his work. That letter eventually made its way to mathematics professors in Italy, who were stunned by what he had done.
After a rigorous review process, his work was confirmed to be correct and original. In January 2020, his paper was published in the journal *Research in Number Theory*, a major accomplishment for any mathematician, let alone one who is self-taught in prison.
Christopher Havens’ story is a powerful example of how a person can find purpose and achieve something remarkable, no matter their circumstances.
Sources: Popular Mechanics, Scientific American