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'Beautiful Mind' mathematician John Nash killed in crash | 'Beautiful Mind' mathematician John Nash killed in crash |
(34 minutes later) | |
US mathematician John Nash, who inspired the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind, has died in a car crash with his wife, police have said. | |
Nash, 86, and his 82-year-old wife Alicia were killed when their taxi crashed in New Jersey, they said. | |
The mathematician is renowned for his work in game theory, winning the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994. | The mathematician is renowned for his work in game theory, winning the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1994. |
His breakthroughs in maths - and his struggles with schizophrenia - were the focus of the 2001 film. | |
Russell Crowe, who played him in the film, tweeted: "Stunned... My heart goes out to John & Alicia & family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts." | Russell Crowe, who played him in the film, tweeted: "Stunned... My heart goes out to John & Alicia & family. An amazing partnership. Beautiful minds, beautiful hearts." |
Alicia Nash helped care for her husband, and the two later became prominent mental health advocates. | Alicia Nash helped care for her husband, and the two later became prominent mental health advocates. |
The two were thrown from their vehicle, police said. Media reports said the couple may not have been wearing seatbelts when they crashed. | |
Their taxi driver, and a passenger in another car, were also injured. | |
Nash married Alicia Larde in 1957, when he was a rising star in the maths world. | Nash married Alicia Larde in 1957, when he was a rising star in the maths world. |
But he developed severe schizophrenia soon after, and Alicia had him committed several times. The couple divorced in 1962. | |
They stayed close, and his condition had begun to improve by the 1980s. They remarried in 2001. | |
Earlier this week, Nash received the Abel Prize, another top honour in the field of mathematics. | Earlier this week, Nash received the Abel Prize, another top honour in the field of mathematics. |
What is game theory? | |
If you have ever tried to haggle over a price, you may have unknowingly engaged in some of the logic employed in game theory. | |
The subject can be described as the mathematical study of decision-making, conflict and strategy in social situations. | |
The "game" is an attempt to model the decision-making process, those making the choices and what those outcomes might be. | |
It has huge applications, with everything from dating sites to auctions of sports rights using its ideas. | |
The Nash Equilibrium, for which John Nash won his Nobel Prize, describes situations where it is of no benefit for players in a complex game to change strategy, when they consider others'. It helps explain evolutionary stability, for example. |