UrbanaA new four-color theorem proof still needs a computer.
Mathematicians have long wanted proofs that explain why it is true.
Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken’s original 1976 proof used a computer to check nearly 2,000 map configurations.
Whether any four-color proof can ever skip the computer check remains unresolved.
How each outlet framed it
- Quanta Magazine
- explores persistent mathematician dissatisfaction with 1970s computer-assisted proof; notes hunt for deeper theoretical insight
Sources: Quanta Magazine