Major Math Discoveries in 2023

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses major mathematical discoveries in 2023, including new bounds on Ramsey numbers, the discovery of an aperiodic tiling known as an Einstein tile, and findings related to three arithmetic progressions. The scope includes theoretical insights and historical context surrounding these discoveries.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants highlight new bounds on Ramsey numbers as a significant development in understanding randomness in systems.
  • Others describe the aperiodic tiling discovery of an Einstein tile, noting challenges in proving its validity due to initial reliance on mirror images.
  • There is discussion about the exploration of arithmetic sequences and the discovery of sets of numbers that avoid containing three-term sequences.
  • Several participants express admiration for Paul Erdős, noting his contributions and eccentric lifestyle, with references to his famous sayings and biographies.
  • A participant shares a Scientific American article about Erdős, contributing to the historical context of the discussion.
  • One participant humorously admits difficulty in understanding the technical terms presented in the original post.
  • Another participant points out that one of the breakthroughs was made by an amateur mathematician.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express admiration for the discoveries and for Paul Erdős, but there is no consensus on the technical details or implications of the mathematical concepts discussed. Multiple viewpoints and interpretations remain present.

Contextual Notes

Some mathematical concepts, such as the definitions and implications of Ramsey numbers and aperiodic tiling, are discussed with varying levels of clarity and understanding among participants. There are unresolved questions regarding the specific nature of the arithmetic progressions mentioned.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those studying mathematics, particularly in the areas of combinatorics and number theory, as well as individuals interested in the historical contributions of mathematicians like Paul Erdős.

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TL;DR
Ramsey numbers, Einstein Tiles and 3 Arithmetic Progressions
Covering:
- New Ramsey number bounds
- Aperiodic tiling discovery of an Einstein tile
- Three Arithmetic Progressions

 
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jedishrfu said:
TL;DR Summary: Ramsey numbers, Einstein Tiles and 3 Arithmetic Progressions

Covering:
- New Ramsey number bounds
- Aperiodic tiling discovery of an Einstein tile
- Three Arithmetic Progressions


First time I watch this video. It is incredible that Paul Erdos had a hand in all these initial discoveries. What an incredible Mathematician and human.
 
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helenbooth said:

First time I watch this video. It is incredible that Paul Erdos had a hand in all these initial discoveries. What an incredible Mathematician and human.
And a bit (a lot) of an eccentric!
 
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Erdos was a wandering mathematician/ He never got tenure and instead would travel around crashing at friends places and coming up with novel math ideas. Some of his famous sayings were:
- my brain is open
- a mathematician is a device for converting coffee into theorems
- another roof, another proof
- if numbers aren't beautiful, I don't know what is

https://www.azquotes.com/author/4538-Paul_Erdos

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Paul_Erdős

He believed that God has a book of the most beautiful proofs. Some other mathematicians created a book of the best proofs in honor of Erdos:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proofs_from_THE_BOOK

There are a couple of excellent biographies of Erdos:

- My Brain is Open by Bruce Schechter

https://www.amazon.com/MY-BRAIN-OPEN-Mathematical-Journeys/dp/0684859807?tag=pfamazon01-20

- The Man who Loved only Numbers by Paul Hoffman
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Loved-Only-Numbers/dp/0786884061?tag=pfamazon01-20

and on NOVA:

 
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Ramsey Numbers:

Ramsey numbers are a way of understanding how quickly disorder or randomness can appear in a system.

Imagine you have a group of folks at a party; some are friends, and some are strangers. Ramsey numbers help you figure out how many people need to be at the party to guarantee that either a certain number of them are all friends or a certain number are all strangers.

Aperiodic Tiling:

An amateur tileist, a computer scientist, and a mathematician go to a bar to show that the tile pattern the tileist discovered is truly aperiodic. His first attempt worked but used mirror images of the tile in the patterns. But some folks balked saying its two tile types and therefore can't be an Einstein tile. He reworked it and found a genuine Einstein tile ie a single tile that can be utilized to make tile patterns that have no repeating patterns.

Arithmetic Sequences:

Mathematicians wondered if you can describe a set of numbers without a three-term sequence of numbers. After finally finding one, they found many more. 1,2,3 or 1,3,5 or 1,2,3,5,8 (fibonacci) all have at least one sequence of three numbers.

QuantaMagazine has an article to go along with the video:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-biggest-discoveries-in-math-in-2023-20231222/
 
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I like this.



One of the three breakthroughs was discovered by an amateur.
 

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