Four-color theorem linked to crystal's magnetic properties
Monday, June 9, 2014 - 09:00
in Astronomy & Space
(Phys.org) —Sometimes mathematical theories have implications that extend far beyond their original purpose. This situation holds true for the four-color theorem, which was originally used by cartographers hundreds of years ago to draw maps. According to the theorem, four colors are sufficient to color different countries on a 2D map so that no two adjacent countries have the same color (excluding intersecting corners). However, today the four-color theorem is less interesting to cartographers than it is to mathematicians due to the complexity of its proof, which was achieved in 1976.