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graph theory

Latest Articles

Side-by-side illustrations of the same linear hypergraph. The edges of the hypergraph are colored in the illustration on the right, but not in the illustration on the left.
combinatorics

Mathematicians Settle Erdős Coloring Conjecture

By Kelsey Houston-Edwards
April 5, 2021
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Fifty years ago, Paul Erdős and two other mathematicians came up with a graph theory problem that they thought they might solve on the spot. A team of mathematicians has finally settled it.

Abel Prize

Pioneers Linking Math and Computer Science Win the Abel Prize

By Kevin Hartnett
March 17, 2021
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Avi Wigderson and László Lovász won for their work developing complexity theory and graph theory, respectively, and for connecting the two fields.

Photo of Ashwin Sah standing in front of a sculpture in a park
Abstractions blog

Undergraduate Math Student Pushes Frontier of Graph Theory

By Kevin Hartnett
November 30, 2020
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At 21, Ashwin Sah has produced a body of work that senior mathematicians say is nearly unprecedented for a college student.

Illustration showing a large multicolored graph on top and a smaller one below, which is rising and growing bigger
combinatorics

Disorder Persists in Larger Graphs, New Math Proof Finds

By Kevin Hartnett
November 4, 2020
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David Conlon and Asaf Ferber have raised the lower bound for multicolor “Ramsey numbers,” which quantify how big graphs can get before patterns inevitably emerge.

Aerial image of a complicated road network.
Abstractions blog

A New Algorithm for Graph Crossings, Hiding in Plain Sight

By Stephanie DeMarco
September 15, 2020
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Two computer scientists found — in the unlikeliest of places — just the idea they needed to make a big leap in graph theory.

An abstract illustration showing broken tools, cubes, numbers and other abstract representations of impossible math
Quantized Columns

When Math Gets Impossibly Hard

By David S. Richeson
September 14, 2020
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Mathematicians have long grappled with the reality that some problems just don’t have solutions.

An animation showing a 3-by-3 Latin square, with numbers color coded, and the equivalent graph.
Abstractions blog

‘Rainbows’ Are a Mathematician’s Best Friend

By Kevin Hartnett
March 18, 2020
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“Rainbow colorings” recently led to a new proof. It’s not the first time they’ve come in handy.

Animation showing toy-like depictions of computer science, quantum mechanics and pure math affecting each other.
computational complexity

Landmark Computer Science Proof Cascades Through Physics and Math

By Kevin Hartnett
March 4, 2020
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Computer scientists established a new boundary on computationally verifiable knowledge. In doing so, they solved major open problems in quantum mechanics and pure mathematics.

Animated demonstration of a colorful complete graph being tiled by a smaller tree
combinatorics

Rainbow Proof Shows Graphs Have Uniform Parts

By Kevin Hartnett
February 19, 2020
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Mathematicians have proved that copies of smaller graphs can always be used to perfectly cover larger ones.


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