Author Topic: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.  (Read 20798 times)

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Online Kjelt

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #75 on: July 05, 2018, 08:52:30 am »
That has already been discussed.
Since he has the physique of a young boy he probably will not be challenged as an adult or perceived as a competitive "threat" by other students.
The only problem he probably will encounter is that his peers will underestimate him and not teach him on the level he requires, the same as in another topic intelligent women are treated as nono's by technical people  ;)
 

Offline Zero999

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #76 on: July 05, 2018, 09:07:21 am »
That has already been discussed.
Not adequately in my opinion. He may actually need extra help beyond what a typical child that age will require, even if he doesn't go to university.
 

Online Kjelt

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #77 on: July 05, 2018, 09:15:17 am »
That has already been discussed.
Not adequately in my opinion. He may actually need extra help beyond what a typical child that age will require, even if he doesn't go to university.
So who says he will not get that extra attention and support? Who says he has a problem? Who says that this will even occurr? Are you a child psychologist? Just saying there are so many assumptions and biased opinions it makes no sense to discuss this whole topic without more information and expert knowledge.
 

Offline Zero999

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #78 on: July 05, 2018, 01:01:16 pm »
That has already been discussed.
Not adequately in my opinion. He may actually need extra help beyond what a typical child that age will require, even if he doesn't go to university.
So who says he will not get that extra attention and support? Who says he has a problem? Who says that this will even occurr? Are you a child psychologist? Just saying there are so many assumptions and biased opinions it makes no sense to discuss this whole topic without more information and expert knowledge.
I just find it very hard to believe a child who lacks interest in interacting with his peers, showing more interest in maths, is emotionally and socially normal for his age.

My point was is it's great he's ahead academically but it's far more important to focus on the areas he might be struggling with, than what he's naturally good at.

I agree. We need more information. That's the problem with this thread. A lot of it is speculation.
 

Offline Koen

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #79 on: July 06, 2018, 12:07:20 am »
Answers to the previous pages can be found in the many articles about him.
 

Offline Augustus

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #80 on: November 12, 2019, 09:52:03 pm »
Nine months later... He'll graduate as an electrical engineer at age 9...  :scared:

https://interestingengineering.com/first-9-year-old-to-graduate-from-university
Greetings from the Black Forest, Germany
 

Online SiliconWizard

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #81 on: November 12, 2019, 10:09:52 pm »
He's probably watched a bit too much of The big bang theory...
Although Sheldon would laugh hysterically at him for choosing an engineering path. :-DD
 

Offline Gyro

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #82 on: November 12, 2019, 10:17:50 pm »
I hope the poor little guy goes on to do a couple of extra degrees or a PhD to fill in another couple of years. He won't be able to legally work for a fair while.  :(
Best Regards, Chris
 

Online SiliconWizard

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #83 on: November 12, 2019, 10:27:21 pm »
I hope the poor little guy goes on to do a couple of extra degrees or a PhD to fill in another couple of years. He won't be able to legally work for a fair while.  :(

Yeah. Also, I don't know what kind of value he would really have on the job market once he reaches the legal age, if he graduated years ago without ever working professionally after that... so sure we can wonder what he's going to do now. But yeah, likely a PhD or several.


 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #84 on: November 12, 2019, 10:44:18 pm »
Nine months later... He'll graduate as an electrical engineer at age 9...  :scared:
https://interestingengineering.com/first-9-year-old-to-graduate-from-university

Quote:
Quote
Also, he has a photographic memory which enables him to master subjects in a matter of days which would take ten weeks for other students.

That right there is the entirety of this story.

When he hits his early to mid 20's he'll be just like everyone else. Probably smarter than most, with a photographic memory for sure, but apart from that he won't be special any more.
Being this smart this early doesn't mean he'll be the next Elon Musk, or win a Nobel prize for curing cancer or something.
What did the previous record holder end up like, now 35yo:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Kearney
He won a million bucks on a game show, but didn't do so well on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.
He got his PhD at 22
He's done some researching and some teaching, which of course is admirable, but nothing special for the previous worlds smarted kid.
Wiki has his occupation as Improv Comedian?  :-//

« Last Edit: November 12, 2019, 10:50:42 pm by EEVblog »
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #85 on: November 12, 2019, 10:48:09 pm »
Although Sheldon would laugh hysterically at him for choosing an engineering path. :-DD

The Oompa-Loompa's of the science world!
 
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Offline Gyro

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #86 on: November 12, 2019, 10:49:29 pm »
Maybe his thesis could be something like 'A practical method for global scale Carbon capture to reduce atmospheric CO2 concentration' with a possible follow up of 'A method for large scale Solar powered ice generation, with the aim of reduce sea levels'.

If he finishes those by the time he's 20 we may all be in with a chance.  :D
Best Regards, Chris
 

Offline TimNJ

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #87 on: November 12, 2019, 10:55:15 pm »
Dave, it's possible that you're right: He might not become the next Einstein or Musk.

But at the same time, I think a strong memory can be an important part of being successful in most technical professions. A good engineer must be able to connect lots of dots in order to design/troubleshoot a system. For me, troubleshooting is usually polling my memory banks for previous experiences, things I've read on forums or in books, things I learned in school, etc. If you can't pull in those  memories, you'll probably have a hard time figuring out the issue.

My point is: I think a good memory can give you a strong advantage in the real-world. But of course, good memory alone is just part of the picture. He'll need creativity, passion, and things like that too.
 

Online Kjelt

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #88 on: November 12, 2019, 11:11:20 pm »
What did the previous record holder end up like, now 35yo:
....
Wiki has his occupation as Improv Comedian?  :-//
When you are that smart you realize that life is a big joke  ;)

On a serious note when he can graduate any study in two years time he can do math, physics, ee, me, informatics before he is 20.
One of the major advantages one thinks AI might contribute to the world is the ability to combine all sciences and hopefully gain new knowledge from that, which single educated humans are not capable of combining all that knowledge.
 The advantage of an AI is that it never dies or looses any of its previous learnings if the backups are made properly. The disadvantage if the current AIs is that they are hard to teach and they are quite stupid compared to human brains.
This kid might well have a very bright future, but indeed also a chance not to.
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #89 on: November 12, 2019, 11:13:51 pm »
Dave, it's possible that you're right: He might not become the next Einstein or Musk.
But at the same time, I think a strong memory can be an important part of being successful in most technical professions.

Sure, no argument from me. And that's why I said he'll be smarter than most.
The issue with child prodigies like this is that people kinda expect they'll change the world or do something incredible with their life. The reality is they are most likely to just end up like everyone else, as there are other factors at play that determine if they'll be the next Einstein, Gary Kasparov, or Mozart.
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #90 on: November 12, 2019, 11:18:50 pm »
In related news, Huxley will be going to Kindergarten next year, he'll be the youngest in the year by several months. Majority of kids will be 12 to 22 months older. Sagan, born the same month, was the 2nd or 3rd youngest.
Seems that everyone is holding their kids back now so they'll be "smarter" than the other kids.
 

Online SiliconWizard

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #91 on: November 12, 2019, 11:19:18 pm »
The issue with child prodigies like this is that people kinda expect they'll change the world or do something incredible with their life. The reality is they are most likely to just end up like everyone else, as there are other factors at play that determine if they'll be the next Einstein, Gary Kasparov, or Mozart.

Definitely.
 

Offline m98

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #92 on: November 13, 2019, 11:30:14 am »
Nine months later... He'll graduate as an electrical engineer at age 9...  :scared:

https://interestingengineering.com/first-9-year-old-to-graduate-from-university
How is it even possible to cram a whole EE degree into 9 month? No mandatory labs, projects, dated assignments, presentations, etc.? How could he even sign up for every single exam in one or two exam periods?
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #93 on: November 13, 2019, 12:50:31 pm »
but I think it would actually be illegal to a hire a 13yo kid in Australia as a full time employee for example. Maybe would have to do it as a contractor or something.

There is no minimum age (at least in NSW).

Well I'd LOVE to start paying Sagan a full time wage, nothing at all to do with tax...  8)

I'm sure someone has already tried that on at some stage.

Actually, come to think of it, what's to stop a company paying for a child content creator, just like child actors and models etc. Sure the money would have to go into a trust fund or something, but this has to be possible...
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #94 on: November 13, 2019, 12:55:45 pm »
Nine months later... He'll graduate as an electrical engineer at age 9...  :scared:

https://interestingengineering.com/first-9-year-old-to-graduate-from-university
How is it even possible to cram a whole EE degree into 9 month? No mandatory labs, projects, dated assignments, presentations, etc.? How could he even sign up for every single exam in one or two exam periods?

Yeah, seems dodgy. There must be special treatment afforded, and special tests given upon request. Kid memorises past exams, practices, and passes.
Standard practice at university is to not allow you to take on too many subjects at once.

Seems it's only a 3 year degree, not 4 years:
https://www.tue.nl/en/education/bachelor-college/bachelor-electrical-engineering/
and you need 60 credits:
https://www.tue.nl/en/education/bachelor-college/bachelor-electrical-engineering/course-structure/
https://studiegids.tue.nl/opleidingen/bachelor-college/majors/electrical-engineering/
« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 01:03:11 pm by EEVblog »
 

Offline Marco

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #95 on: November 13, 2019, 12:57:37 pm »
With a few well meaning profs it's possible, couple decades ago pretty much all bachelor classes except one or two lab classes were tested only by final exam and with a little begging they would schedule one for you if you had good reason. they would probably still be free to do so when they elect. Master classes tended to be project oriented and given by more important staff, not very suited to rushing without a lot of 1:1 time dedicated by busy important people which I doubt they will be enthusiastic about.

But assuming it's bachelors EE that probable leaves one or two semesters with mandatory lab classes, all the exams and final project, which could be done fast when it's not external.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2019, 04:03:34 pm by Marco »
 

Offline sokoloff

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #96 on: November 13, 2019, 02:10:16 pm »
I'd like to know the logistics behind this.
Ok, so he's bored and super smart and talented, but the usual thing in those cases is to look at putting them up a year. At what point does the school re-evaluate the kid every few months and decide to give him the proper grade tests and put him up a grade that quickly each time. Seems dodgy to me, and I can't see that happening that fast in a school here in Australia at least.

And I'm also skeptical that the test are being done to the same standard. They develop new tests every year and very likely wouldn't had even had the year end tests ready at those point to give him?  :-//
Being a child who both skipped grade/courses and took advanced math courses one summer to learn and test out of Geometry, Algebra I, and Algebra II as part of SMPY, I can comment on some of the likely logistics. Skipping grades (though obviously not to the extent that Laurent did) is fairly straightforward. Testing out of subjects was done (IIRC; it's been 35+ years) by doing coursework from the same textbook the class used, basically 6-8 hours a day, with two roving tutors working with the class of perhaps 15, then taking the placement exam basically anytime I was ready. Over the course of three weeks, I knocked out those three courses and started [but did not finish] Algebra III. On something like those math courses, it's quite straightforward and I think most people could learn the coursework in a month of full time study (that's more or less the effort devoted to each subject in a typical middle or high school). It's hardly surprising that someone a few standard deviations above the median could do it 5x as fast. In my case, the exams seemed completely legitimate and felt appropriate to the coursework. There are course credential tests available for homeschooling parents. One does not need to rely on the school preparing a new test or other logistical non-hurdles.

It doesn't strike me as particularly impossible to learn STEM subjects at a rate 5-10x (or even 20x) as fast as the typical "drag it out" pace of high school. The amount of "Miss Foobar; I did the problem a different way and got a different answer; is that OK?" nonsense waiting on the other kids to catch up is incredibly wasteful and represents a fair amount of the determining factor of the pace of schooling. (It has to be; you can't and shouldn't teach to the top of the class; ideally you teach to the broad middle or even slightly below, but there's a lot of pressure to teach to the 5th or 10th percentile pace.)

For me, I feel like I graduated high school with an entire extra year of healthy adult life ahead of me. What is an extra year of free adult life worth? I'm sure Laurent has some hurdles ahead of him (mainly socially, as did I), but if I'm going to make errors in raising my own children, it is more likely to be in favor of offering them acceleration, enrichment, and additional academic (and athletic and experiential) opportunities than it is to be in the direction of holding them back, plopping them in front of televisions, or making them "do their time" in the interest of social cohesion with kids who are less capable in areas in which they are skilled. We get maybe 50 years of reasonably healthy, reasonably self-directed adult time. Given someone one more year of that is like giving them a 2% bonus on the fat, sweet spot of life.
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #97 on: November 14, 2019, 03:23:30 am »
We get maybe 50 years of reasonably healthy, reasonably self-directed adult time. Given someone one more year of that is like giving them a 2% bonus on the fat, sweet spot of life.

And therein lies the issue.
There is no research that says accelerating kids this early makes them any better at anything in their adult years, but it does potentially deprive them of a normal and fun childhood with all the associated social development.
I can understand a year or two early, that's fine (and very normal) but having your 9yo attend and graduate university just turns them into a freak show. I actually feel sorry for the kid.
If he's bored there are countless things you can get him to do instead of graduate him 8-9 years early from school and throw him into university and then have him graduate 9 months later, to then what?...
« Last Edit: November 14, 2019, 03:25:16 am by EEVblog »
 
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Offline maginnovision

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #98 on: November 14, 2019, 04:08:48 am »
In related news, Huxley will be going to Kindergarten next year, he'll be the youngest in the year by several months. Majority of kids will be 12 to 22 months older. Sagan, born the same month, was the 2nd or 3rd youngest.
Seems that everyone is holding their kids back now so they'll be "smarter" than the other kids.

That's interesting, my 4 year old wasn't eligible to start school for being too young. My son will be the same since he was born only a month(and 2 years) later. What is the minimum age there?
 

Online EEVblog

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Re: Belgian boy Laurent Simons heads off to university aged 8.
« Reply #99 on: November 14, 2019, 04:28:27 am »
In related news, Huxley will be going to Kindergarten next year, he'll be the youngest in the year by several months. Majority of kids will be 12 to 22 months older. Sagan, born the same month, was the 2nd or 3rd youngest.
Seems that everyone is holding their kids back now so they'll be "smarter" than the other kids.

That's interesting, my 4 year old wasn't eligible to start school for being too young. My son will be the same since he was born only a month(and 2 years) later. What is the minimum age there?

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/enrol-nsw-public-primary-school

Quote
You can enrol your child in kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5 on or before 31 July of that year. They must be enrolled by their sixth birthday.

So if your kids 4yo and born on 31st July, they could be going to Kindergarten with 6yo kids born in Feb, so 20 months potential difference.
Like I said, was common when I was kid to go as soon as you could. Then for Sagan (now 8yo) it was fairly rare. Now with Huxley, even with him being born in May, he will be the youngest in the entire year by almost two months. It's very "trendy" now to hold your kids back a year so they can be "smarter" than the younger kids.
 


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