140-year-old math problem solved

I thought I would publish a short note today, then later this week either Wednesday or Thursday. Soon I will have a schedule!

I am a physics writer and not a math writer, but I thought this deserved a mention. It’s not very often that a 140-year-old math problem gets solved.

The problem existed in something called conformal mapping, which is used to take a complicated shape to a circular shape so that it is easier to analyze. Some of you might know the phrase “take a spherical cow…”

A formula called the Schwarz-Christoffel formula was developed in the mid-19th century to help with this. However, it only worked for things that didn’t have any holes or “irregularities.” For 140 years, even without the formula, you could figure this stuff out, as long as you didn’t have a hole.

Professor Darren Crowdy from the Imperial College in London has made the breakthrough and fixed this problem that has stumped mathematician, engineers and scientists for so long.

"With my extensions to this formula, you can take account of these differences and map them onto a simple disk shape for analysis in the same way as you can with less complex shapes without any of the holes," said Crowdy.

“Take a disk-shaped cow” doesn’t have the same ring to it, but cool nonetheless!