Celebrities IQ

What Is Terence Tao's IQ?

By Samantha Davis
Psychology Writer
Published on August 10, 2024 | Updated on August 22, 2024

Image by The White House, used under Public Domain / Incorporated into an illustration

Terence Tao's IQ Stands at 227

Terence Tao, with an amazing IQ of 227, is a standout figure in math. He currently holds one of the highest IQs in the world. Born in 1975 in Adelaide, Australia, Tao showed incredible talent early on. At age 9, he was already doing university-level calculus and became the youngest gold medalist in the International Mathematical Olympiad at 13. Tao's math journey started early, with his family recognizing and supporting his talent. He went to both high school and university classes by age nine, often asking questions and even correcting teachers. His parents, who moved from Hong Kong, supported his education fully. Tao believes math is for everyone and values teamwork and basic research.

Tao's work covers many areas, like number theory, harmonic analysis, and partial differential equations. In 2004, he and Ben Green proved the Green-Tao theorem, which shows there are very long sequences of prime numbers. This work has opened new research paths and earned Tao many awards, including the Fields Medal and the MacArthur Fellowship. Despite his success, Tao is humble and friendly. He likes a simple life, choosing to work at UCLA where he enjoys the relaxed environment and shares his knowledge through a popular math blog. He also believes in the future of AI in math research.

Terence Tao's deep insights and groundbreaking research have made him one of the top mathematicians of our time. His story continues to inspire and influence the math world.

Terence Tao's IQ

227

How Do We Know Terence Tao's IQ Is 227?

Average Confidence Level

High

We derived Terence Tao's IQ from BBC Science Focus. We have included the IQ scores from three other sources for reference. Note that we approximated the score by taking the midpoint of the provided range.

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BBC Science Focus

227 IQ

ZME Science

230 IQ

Jagran Josh

220 IQ

Curious Matrix

230 IQ

5 Times Terence Tao Revealed Impressive Brain Power

Youngest IM0 Gold Medalist: At just 13 years of age, Terence Tao became the youngest person to win a gold medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad. This accomplishment highlights his exceptional mathematical ability.
Record-Breaking IQ: Terence Tao has an IQ of 227, one of the highest ever recorded. His score reflects his extraordinary intelligence and cognitive capabilities.
Fields Medal Recipient: In 2006, Tao was awarded the Fields Medal. Also called the Nobel Prize of Mathematics, Tao won this award for his contributions to partial differential equations, combinatorics, harmonic analysis, and additive number theory.
Published by Age 10: Demonstrating early brilliance, Tao published his first assistant paper at age 10. This was an unusual and remarkable achievement that hinted at his future potential in mathematics. He would go on to author/co-author more than 275 research papers.
Solved the Erdős Discrepancy Problem: Tao made headlines in 2015 by solving the Erdős discrepancy problem, a longstanding puzzle in mathematics, further solidifying his position as a leading mathematical mind.

Image by Numberphile on YouTube, used under YouTube / Incorporated into an illustration

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Where Does Terence Tao's IQ Score Stand?

Terence Tao's IQ of 227 is off the charts, literally placing him well above the threshold for the world's most selective high IQ societies. This score effortlessly qualifies him for membership in exclusive circles like Mensa, Intertel, Triple Nine Society, and even the extremely selective Epimetheus Society. For context, the bar for Epimetheus is set at the top 0.003% of the population, a figure that pales in comparison to Tao's standing.

Image by The White House, used under Public Domain / Incorporated into an illustration

Is Terence Tao's IQ the Highest Among Scientists?

In the world of high IQs, Terence Tao stands out with an IQ of 227. Let's put this into perspective by comparing him to other acclaimed scientists.

Kim Ung-Yong has an equally impressive IQ of 210. As a child prodigy, he could read Korean, Japanese, English, and German by age four!

Meanwhile, J. Robert Oppenheimer, with an IQ of 145, is known as the father of the atomic bomb. He radically changed the modern world. Oppenheimer's sharp mind and leadership were crucial in one of history's most significant scientific endeavors.

Edward Witten, with an IQ of 191, revolutionized theoretical physics by introducing string theory. His ideas have expanded our understanding of the universe's fundamental nature.

With an estimated IQ of 190, Leibniz made significant contributions to mathematics and philosophy. He invented calculus independently of Newton, which is a big deal considering how much we rely on calculus today.

Lastly, Alan Turing, with an IQ of 185, laid the groundwork for modern computing and artificial intelligence. His code-breaking efforts during World War II and his pioneering ideas in computer science have left a lasting legacy, shaping the technology we use every day.

Illustration composed of multiple sources: images by MasterClass on YouTube under YouTube, unknown author under CC BY-SA 4.0, Charles Thorpe and Steven Shapin under Public Domain, CliffMoore under Public Domain, Digitalisierungszentrum der Niedersächsischen Staats- under CC BY 4.0, Kanijoman under CC BY 2.0 / Incorporated into an illustration

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