It def. seems unlikely to be able to learn advanced math and physics so quickly unless you have an IQ of 160+ or something, in which case why in the 21st century America with modern schooling and education, why would someone with such a high IQ enter college not knowing 6th grade math. I'm not a teacher, but aren't there clues of profound giftedness that manifest early in life?
The question is, is her almost overnight success reproducible by other smart people. Let's say you know calculus and linear algebra, QM is doable, I suppose. But still...mind blown. Even Ed Witten with a physicist for a dad still took 4-5 years to learn the stuff.
I was under the impression that, due to the changes in the brain's plasticity, if you didn't pick up maths before a certain age you probably wouldn't be able to pick it up with ease after that. If this is correct, and she was older than that age, then there's a good possibility that there's not just IQ involved here.
EDIT: she was homeschooled, which explains it...more info https://www.susanjfowler.com/blog/2016/8/15/20-unconventiona...
Obv. profoundly smart
The question is, is her almost overnight success reproducible by other smart people. Let's say you know calculus and linear algebra, QM is doable, I suppose. But still...mind blown. Even Ed Witten with a physicist for a dad still took 4-5 years to learn the stuff.