33-year-old mathematician Wang Hong from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences (CIMS-NYU) has proved the century-old Kakeya conjecture in three dimensions with collaborator Joshua Zahl!

The problem is rooted in the question: what's the smallest area that an infinitely thin needle can sweep out if it has to be turned to point in every possible direction?

News:
[1] https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3300958/chinese-maths-star-wang-hong-solves-infamous-geometry-problem
[2] https://english.jagran.com/world/chinese-student-wang-hong-cracked-an-impossible-geometry-puzzle-that-stumped-mathematicians-for-over-a-century-10221886

2023 piece from Quanta Magazine on their earlier progress on the problem:
https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-proof-threads-the-needle-on-a-sticky-geometry-problem-20230711/

@tao
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Lillstolen från pappas barndomshem, c:a 1920, Alfredshem. Höjden är perfekt för att bekvämt kolla glöden i järnspisen och samtidigt värma mig och filosofera en liten stund.

[The little chair from Dad's childhood home, about 1920, Alfredshem. The height is perfect for conveniently checking the glow in the iron stove and at the same time warm me and philosophize for a little while.]

#photography #chair #handmade #home #rural #cabin #furniture #HardwoodFloor #Wood #jämtland #sweden #centuryold