Jacob Barnett

Jacob "Jake" Barnett (born 1997) is a purported child prodigy and genius. Diagnosed with mild autism—Asperger syndrome—Barnett showed an early interest in astronomy and mathematics. Barnett has a tested math IQ of 170, the highest that can be tested for in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children.
Biography
By the age of two, Barnett was socially withdrawn, even among family members, and was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.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, , 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.<ref name="indystar" />
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.<ref name="indystar" />
:"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?' "<ref name="indystar" />
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—in a single two week period and successfully passed the tests exempting him from the classes. Barnett enrolled at the college at the age of twelve.<ref name="indystar" />
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 be responsible for the amount of carbon present in the universe via his calculations.<ref name="indystar" />
IUPUI is seeking to move him from a student to a paid researcher's position.<ref name="indystar" />

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