Tinkertoy Models Produce New Geometric Insights

Quanta Magazine's Kevin Hartnett writes:

"For more than a century, mathematicians have investigated the equations required to describe—or embed—different kinds of shapes in spaces with different numbers of dimensions. They ask questions like, 'Do equations exist that describe this shape in that space?' and 'How complicated are the equations required to describe a given shape in space?' Now, in a pair of recent papers, mathematicians have moved closer to developing a systematic understanding of how those equations vary based on the shape they describe."

Learn more about the new research by former Members Sam Payne, von Neumann Fellow, and Dhruv Ranganathan (respective papers here and here)—as well as related research by Phillip A. Griffiths, Professor Emeritus in the School of Mathematics—at Quanta.