Physicist Richard Feynman turned a lunch dilemma into a math problem. Researchers finally cracked his notes and found people approximate his solution on their own.
In mid-May, OpenAI announced that an internal AI model had disproved the ErdΕs unit distance conjecture, a famous problem in discrete geometry that had stumped human mathematicians for the last 80 years.
OpenAI gave several mathematicians early access to the result andΒ published their reactions.Β Tim Gowersβwho won the Fields Medal, the most prestigious prize in mathematicsβwrote that βthere is no doubt that the solution to the unit-distance problem is a milestone in AI mathematics.β
University of Toronto professorΒ Daniel LittΒ wrote that βthis is the first example of a result produced autonomously by an AI that I find exciting in itself, as opposed to as a leading indicator.β
Login
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Childwithmagnifyingglass_GMementoJpeg_GettyImages-1918901330-35f591c1d3a942d99bd4af362c165bae.jpg "<p>GMementoJpeg?GettyImages</p>")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Turtle_and_Oil_Spill_905-100e2334642b4903bc1782f15a308463.jpg "<p>By NOAA - Flickr.com, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=133642124</p>")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/illustration-of-the-gas-giant-planet-neptune-and-its-largest-moon-triton--112717275-590a25373df78c92830b8059.jpg "Stocktrek Images / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-124564231-58b5c7d75f9b586046caddb9.jpg "Dave White / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-56902358-5b8840e7c9e77c0025af5230.jpg "<p>Jack Hollingsworth / Getty ImagesΒ </p>")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/178789772-56a131315f9b58b7d0bceb7e.jpg "<p>an aruni photography / Getty Images</p>")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/power-generator-671795572-5984b4770d327a0011f9fe2e.jpg "Marin Tomas / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Litmus-PH-58e694155f9b58ef7edbd61d.jpg "David Gould / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/close-up-of-a-painting-on-a-rock-sevilla-rock-art-trail-traveller-s-rest-cederberg-mountains-clanwilliam-western-cape-province-south-africa-79588058-58e110c55f9b58ef7ef75317.jpg "Hein von Horsten / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/78485899-56b3c3725f9b5829f82c27b2.jpg "<p>Comstock/Getty Images</p>")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/alkalineearth-56a12cd75f9b58b7d0bcca7e.png "Todd Helmenstine")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/underwater-view-of-an-algal-bloom---red-tide-with-grunt-fish-505883854-5ae5d2781d640400364dfbd5.jpg "James R.D. Scott / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/acid-test-84498113-5942d4bd5f9b58d58a80cb65.jpg "Terry J Alcorn / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-184405145-5898a68f5f9b5874eea04b4b.jpg "Getty Images/michael1959")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/Alohalika-5c5c9527c9e77c000156665c.jpg "<p>Β </p><p>AlohalikaΒ / Getty Images</p>")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/periodic-table-90337992-e702901f1851468a87f3ea13b35b57ff.jpg "Daniel Hurst Photography / Getty Images")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/dna-versus-rna-608191_sketch_Final-54acdd8f8af04c73817e8811c32905fa.png "<p>ThoughtCo / Hilary Allison</p>")
