Jacob Barnett is an American mathematician and child prodigy. At 8 years old, Jacob began sneaking into the back of college lectures at IUPUI. After being diagnosed with autism since the age of two and placed in his school’s special ed. program, Jacob’s teachers and doctors were astonished to learn he was able to teach calculus to college students.

At age nine, while playing with shapes, Jacob built a series of mathematical models that expanded Einstein’s field of relativity. A professor at Princeton reviewed his work and confirmed that it was groundbreaking and could someday result in a Nobel Prize. At age 10, Jacob was formally accepted to the University as a full-time college student and went straight into a paid research position in the field of condensed matter physics. For his original work in this field, Jacob set a record, becoming the world’s youngest astrophysics researcher. His paper was subsequently accepted for publication by Physical Review A, a scientific journal shared on sites such as NASA, the Smithsonian, and Harvard’s webpage. Jacob’s work aims to help improve the way light travels in technology.

Jacob is also CEO and founder of Wheel LLC, a business he started in his mom’s garage, and is in the process of writing a book to help end “math phobia” in his generation.

Jacob’s favorite pastime is playing basketball with the kids at his charity, Jacob’s Place. It is a place where kids with autism are inspired every day to be their true authentic selves…just like Jacob.

About Jacob

Jacob “Jake” Barnett (born 1998) is an American child prodigy and mathematics genius. Diagnosed with mild autism—Asperger syndrome—Barnett showed an early interest in astronomy, often confounding scholars with advanced astrophysics knowledge and calculations by the age of three.

By the age of two, Barnett was socially withdrawn, even among family members, and was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. His parents started using a typical method for treating children with Autism, floor time therapy, where children are allowed to focus on subjects that interest them. Barnett showed an early interest in astronomy and would study a book on stars over and over again.

During an outing to a local planetarium, Barnett answered the presenter’s question on why the moons of Mars are odd-shaped. After some questions regarding the planet’s gravity, Barnett correctly explained why they are the shape they are. He was three at the time.

“We were in the crowd, just sitting, listening to this guy ask the crowd if anyone knew why the moons going around Mars were potato-shaped and not round,” she recalls. “Jacob raised his hand and said, ‘Excuse me, but what are the sizes of the moons around Mars?’ “

The lecturer answered, and “Jacob looked at him and said the gravity of the planet . . . is so large that (the moon’s) gravity would not be able to pull it into a round shape.”

Silence.

“That entire building . . . everyone was just looking at him, like, ‘Who is this 3-year-old?’ “

Barnett continued to attend public school, but became bored by it. Upon psychologist’s advice, they withdrew him from school and he was allowed to sit-in on astronomy and advanced math classes at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Preparing for proper college work, he learned all the pre-requisite high school math—algebra and algebra 2, geometry, trigonometry and calculus—and successfully passed the tests exempting him from the classes. Barnett enrolled at the college at the age of twelve.

Barnett is quickly running out of advanced math classes that he can actually take. He often tutors fellow students, normally graduate and post-graduate students. He is also developing an alternative theory to the Big Bang Theory, his hypothesis being that the Big Bang couldn’t have happened through advanced math.
Barnett has a tested math IQ of 170, the highest that can be tested for. IUPUI is seeking to move him from a student to a paid researcher’s position.

Barnett keeps in contact with his friends from Westfield Intermediate School, his school before dropping out to attend college. He enjoys video games, has a girlfriend and attended his first dance shortly before his 13th birthday.