Posted on 04/27/2018 10:49:04 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Professional biologist and amateur mathematician Aubrey de Grey has partially solved the Hadwiger-Nelson problem, which has vexed mathematicians since 1950. He has published a paper describing the solution on the arXiv preprint server.
The Hadwiger-Nelson problem came about when Edward Nelson and Hugo Hadwiger wondered about the smallest number of colors necessary to color all of the points on a graph, with no two connected points using the same color. Over the years, mathematicians have attacked the problem, and have narrowed the possibilities down to four, five, six or seven. Now, de Grey has eliminated the possibility of four colors as the solution.
Interestingly, de Grey is well known for his work in his primary field, biology. More specifically, he has made public comments suggesting that some people alive today will live to be a thousand years old due incipient medical breakthroughs. He has established a foundation dedicated to reversing aging and continues working on the problem. His journey to math puzzle solver, he notes, has roots in his love of the game Othello. He used to be a competitive player, through which he befriended a group of mathematicians. They wound up teaching him some math theory, which he began to explore as a means of unwinding after a hard day at work.
Several years later, a group of mathematicians put together the Polymath Project, a collaboration of mathematicians around the world—their online platform allows those interested in working on difficult math puzzles to collaborate with like-minded individuals. It was on that platform that de Grey found the Hadwiger-Nelson problem. He began working on it over his Christmas break, and after some time exploring the problem using the Moser spindle, discovered that one of the assumptions of prior mathematicians was wrong, and because of that, he was able to rule out four colors as a possible solution.
The amateur mathematician is not taking himself too seriously though, describing his findings as "extraordinarily lucky."
You had me going for a minute, I thought they solved Korman’s enigma. 😁
At this rate, maybe the problem will be totally solved by the year 2160.
And Aubrey de Grey might be the one who solves it!
The fool! How can he undo "settled science???" After all, the vast majority of mathematicians thought the model was correct. Then here comes this upstart ... this solution denier ...
“Hadwiger Nelson” Isn’t that the rapper Notorious Lacks-Talent’s real name?
Not trying to be a smart-aleck but is there a useful application for this currently or is this more of a future application possibility?
It's the threshold formula needed to make warp drive work.
Map making on a tight budget.
Sort of like, after a hard day at work developing warp drive, relaxing in the evening by deciphering Linear A ("Minoan").
Regards,
But is the cat dead or alive?
yes
The LGBT community most offended.
Hermaphrodites step in to take up the slack.
It was commonly known as “The Four Color Problem,” with four conjectured as the minimum number of colors mapmakers could use to represent countries so that no two adjacent countries would have the same color.
Guess now it will be known as “The Five Color Problem.”
The purpose of Science is confirm or deny "settled science". All great discoveries destroyed conventional wisdom.
All knowledge is really a theory, but theories vary on their likely veracity.
We should therefore speak of scientific theories on a graded scale from "almost certain" theory to "highly speculative" theory.
The Sun will rise on the horizon tomorrow is an "almost certain theory". But theory that the temperature of the Earth will rise 1° in 100 years because of man-made warming activities is a "highly speculative theory".
And I think this is a good way to frame the discussion. It avoids saying "you're wrong". Instead you can, "OK, you may be correct, but you are betting on a very dark horse."
And before that happens he is definitely correct that medical technology will allow humans to live healthily into our hundreds—or even thousands. Probably within the next 20 or 30 years.
Possibly for the few Billionaires. Not the regular folks. In the meantime, Lots of fruits, Veges, Lean Protein, water and exercise 3-4 times a week.
With all the garbage that people eat these days, I can’t see science overcoming a piss poor diet.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadwiger–Nelson_problem
Also "The Hadwiger-Nelson problem" sounds like an episode title for The Big Bang Theory where Sheldon does something clueless and upsets everyone.
Which came first; the chicken or the egg?
“Betting on a dark horse”...would that be Mr. Ed?
My evolutionary theory of fast food cuisine depends on the answer.
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