Who was George Gabriel Stokes? The Irish mathematician whose 180-year-old puzzle has AI giants at war - The Irish Times
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OpenAI claims to have found proof of Sligo scientist’s equations but tech rivals are less than impressedGeorge Gabriel Stokes made profound contributions to hydrodynamics and devised and performed many ingenious experiments in optical science. Portrait: The Royal Society Aoife KearinsMon Oct 19 2026 - 06:00 • 4 MIN READA mathematical problem is making big news, with AI companies clashing over claims by one tech giant to have found the solution to the Navier-Stokes equations. Regarded as one of trickiest puzzles of mathematics, it has Irish connection. Who was George Gabriel Stokes? George Gabriel Stokes was born in Skreen, Co Sligo, in August 1819, the son of the local Protestant minister. After schooling at home, in Dublin, and in Bristol, Stokes entered the University of Cambridge in 1837 to study mathematics. He held many of the most significant roles in 19th century science, including Lucasian Professor of Mathematics – a position previously held by Isaac Newton and later held by Stephen Hawking – and Member of Parliament for Cambridge University.
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