PREVIOUS EVENTS

This is a special meeting on the amazing solution to a long-standing maths problem - solved in Yorkshire earlier this year. The problem was to find a 2D shape that can fit together to make a pattern, leaving no gaps, but so that the pattern never repeats. Dave Smith, who discovered the first shape (which he called the Hat) will be at the meeting.

The discovery was widely reported, such as in this article in the New York Times: Elusive ‘Einstein’ Solves a Longstanding Math Problem - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
(pw)

Alastair Rucklidge, professor of mathematics at the University of Leeds, will explain the nature of the problem, and what the solution might mean for his own research projects.

The problem had defied mathematicians for over 50 years, so how was it solved? How can it be proved that the pattern generated by the shape never repeats? What property do the Hat and the Turtle (the second shape that Dave Smith found) have, that means they can fit together to make a pattern without repeating?

The meeting will be in-person at Seven Arts, 31A Harrogate Road, Leeds LS7 3PD. It will not be broadcast over Zoom.

The price of everything is going up. Please can everyone who can afford it remember to bring 2 or 3 pound coins along. These small donations are needed to fund the cost of the venue.