Curious Cat Science and Engineering Blog

August 15, 2006

Poincaré Conjecture

The Poincaré Conjecture in simple terms “states that the three-sphere is the only type of bounded three-dimensional space possible that contains no holes. This conjecture was first proposed in 1904 by H. Poincaré” - Mathworld

Elusive Proof, Elusive Prover: A New Mathematical Mystery:

But at the moment of his putative triumph, Dr. Perelman is nowhere in sight. He is an odds-on favorite to win a Fields Medal, math’s version of the Nobel Prize, when the International Mathematics Union convenes in Madrid next Tuesday. But there is no indication whether he will show up.

Also left hanging, for now, is $1 million offered by the Clay Mathematics Institute in Cambridge, Mass., for the first published proof of the conjecture, one of seven outstanding questions for which they offered a ransom back at the beginning of the millennium.

The Clay Math Institute site has more on the Poincaré Conjecture. Read about the rest of their Millennium Problems - 6 more problems each with a $1 million prize.

by curiouscat Tags: Awards, Math, Students
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3 Responses to “Poincaré Conjecture”

CuriousCat: Prayer Book Reveals Lost Archimedes Work Studying Ideas at Heart of Calculus Says:
October 7th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
“The researchers have discovered that Archimedes was working out principles that, centuries later, would form the heart of calculus and that he had a more sophisticated understanding of the concept of infinity than anyone had realized…”
Curious Cat Math Blog » The Simplest Universal Turing Machine Is Proved Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
“But today I am thrilled to be able to announce that after only five months the prize is won–and we have answer: the Turing machine is in fact universal! Alex Smith–a 20-year-old undergraduate from Birmingham, UK–has produced a 40-page proof…”
Curious Cat Science Blog » Math for America Says:
November 10th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Newton Fellowships for those who would like to become math teachers in New York City (for 180 individuals between 2004 and 2008). They plan to expand the program to other cities in the future…