Ep164 - Lisa Piccirillo | How You Too Can Solve 50+ Year Old Problems

<p>Lisa Piccirillo is a mathematician specializing in the study of three- and four-dimensional spaces. Her work in four-manifold topology has surprising applications to the study of mathematical knots.</p> <p>Perhaps most notably, Piccirillo proved that the infamous Conway knot is not, quote-unquote, “slice.” For all other small knots, “sliceness” is readily determined, but this particular knot had remained a mystery since English mathematician John Conway presented it in the mid-1900s. After hearing about the problem at a conference, Piccirillo took only a week to formulate a proof, thus solving a 50-year old mystery.</p> <p>To watch the video visit: https://g.co/talksatgoogle/PiccirilloKnots</p>