TUNISIA: Teenager discovers simpler proof

A 19-year-old student, Karim Ghariani, has discovered a new way of mathematically proving Bernoulli's theorem, an equation applied to calculations about speed and pressure of fluids.

Ghariani, a first-year student at Insat, the National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology in Tunis, named his simplified solution "Karimation". His discovery will make the problem more accessible to students.

In an interview with the Tunisian Press Agency TAP, Ghariani modestly said his contribution was only small. "I haven't invented anything. What is really new is not the result but rather the demonstration." TAP, however, said his teachers and other specialists were much more impressed.

Ghariani first encountered the numbers theory of the 18th century Swiss mathematician and physicist Daniel Bernoulli, used in theorems for calculating polynomials and probabilities, during his research into the relationship between mathematics and music.

A talented pianist and guitarist as well as mathematician, Ghariani registered his discovery on the internet through Wikiversité, a French-language site, and ArXiv, a freely accessible electronic archive of scientific articles.

Earlier this month, he was honoured for his work at a ceremony at the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Technology.