en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Tao
3 corrections found
James Madison medal (2025)
The year is wrong. Princeton lists Terence Tao as the James Madison Medal recipient for 2026, not 2025.
Full reasoning
Princeton Alumni’s official list of James Madison Medal recipients shows *“2026 - Terence Tao 96 (Mathematics)” and *“2025 - David Card 83 (Economics).” That directly contradicts the claim that Tao received the medal in 2025.
1 source
- James Madison Medal | Princeton Alumni
Previous Award Recipients ... 2026 - Terence Tao *96 (Mathematics) ... 2025 - David Card *83 (Economics)
receiving his PhD at the age of 21
This age is off by one year. Tao’s own CV lists his birth date as July 17, 1975 and his Princeton Ph.D. date as June 1996, meaning he received the Ph.D. at age 20, not 21.
Full reasoning
Tao’s UCLA CV gives two key dates: Date of Birth: July 17, 1975 and Ph. D. — Jun 1996 — Princeton University. Because June 1996 is before July 17, 1996, Tao had not yet turned 21 when he completed the Ph.D.; he was still 20. UCLA’s own profile page independently describes him as earning “a Ph.D. at 20.”
2 sources
- Vitae and Bibliography for Terence Tao
Date of Birth: July 17, 1975 ... Ph. D. | Jun 1996 | Princeton University | Elias Stein
- Terence Tao | UCLA
Tao is ... the very definition of a prodigy: a bachelor's and a master's degree at age 16, a Ph.D. at 20 and a full professor at 24
he received his bachelor's and master's degrees at the age of 16 from Flinders University
This combines two different ages incorrectly. Tao earned his bachelor’s degree in December 1991 at age 16, but his master’s degree was awarded in August 1992, when he was 17.
Full reasoning
Tao’s CV lists B. Sc. (Hons) — Dec 1991 and M. Sc. — Aug 1992. Since he was born on July 17, 1975, he was 16 in December 1991 but 17 by August 1992. Flinders University also states that he graduated with his Master of Science in 1992 at the age of 17. So the page is wrong to say that he received both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees at age 16.
2 sources
- Vitae and Bibliography for Terence Tao
Date of Birth: July 17, 1975 ... M. Sc. Aug 1992 Flinders University ... B. Sc. (Hons) Dec 1991 Flinders University
- International science honour for Flinders graduate – News
Professor Tao, who graduated from Flinders with a Master of Science in 1992 at the age of 17