Ukrainian Marina Vyazovskaya received Fields Medal, considered the Nobel Prize in mathematics, for solving an “unsolved” case since the 17th century. O”ball packing problemgoes back to the time when you wondered how to stack the kernels to get the most dense solution.

In 2016, Marina has already solved two cases of the famous geometric problem, which the German scientist Johannes Kepler proposed in the 17th century, around 1611 – and won several awards for it. The question, in essence, is how many spheres can best fit into a very large box. However, the math for this is extremely complex.

Vyazovskaya began focusing on the problem during her postdoctoral work and found a solution two years later. In your words “turned out to be easier than she thought”. She wrote a 25-page article on the issue. dimensions eight. By comparison, the mathematician Thomas Hales, who demonstrated in three dimensions introduced in the late 1990s 250 pages it took almost 20 years for consideration.

The story becomes more impressive when we remember that Johannes Kepler, the originator of the question, was unable to prove mathematically how best to fill space with as many spheres as possible. Other great mathematicians in history have not found the answer either. According to Pablo Hidalgo, a researcher at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences of the Spanish High Council for Scientific Research, “what Vyazovskaya achieved in 2016 was that she generalized the problem […] As a result of the Vyazovsky resolution, lines of research have been opened up in different parts of the world over the past five years.”

Unsatisfied, a week after solving the eight-dimensional case, she found a solution to the situation related to 24 measurements. However, this time he was helped by other colleagues.

The Fields Medal in Mathematics began to circulate in 1936. It is awarded to mathematicians under 40 every four years. Until today only Two women received an award, including Marina. The first woman was Iranian Maryam Mirzakhani in 2014.

Marina Vyazovskaya is currently a professor at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.

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Via: UOL Tilt | BBC news