12-Year-Old Genius ExpandsEinstein's Theory of Relativity,Thinks He Can Prove It Wrong

[Wijayananda]

Could Einstein's 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 13th
birthday, thinks so. And, he's 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 whileshe taped her
son explaining his take on the
theory.
(More on TIME.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 Gödel—
have confirmed he's on the right
track to coming up with
something completely new. For
now, they're
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.
“I'm impressed by his interest in
physics and the amount that he
has learned so far,” Institute for
Advanced Study Professor Scott
Tremainewrote in an email to
the family. “The theory that he's
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 TIME.com: See the 15
smartest toys for young
geniuses)
Barnett's parents knew that
there was something different
with their son when he didn't
speak until the age of two. He
was diagnosed with Asperger's
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.
Right now, Barnett is being
recruited by Indiana University -
Purdue University Indianapolis
for a paid research position. We
figure he'll 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,
he's 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.
“I'm still working on that,” he
said. “I have an idea, but… I'm
still working out the details."