Proof of Poincaré Conjecture is Top Scientific Breakthrough of 2006
Science has called the proof of the Poincaré Conjecture the 2006 Breakthrough of the Year. The conjecture states that a bounded three-dimensional manifold with no holes is topologically the same as a three-dimensional sphere. Henri Poincaré made the conjecture in 1904 but its proof remained elusive. In 2002 and 2003, Grigori Perelman posted three papers on the ArXiv claiming to prove the conjecture and a more general statement known as the Thurston Geometrization Conjecture. This past summer, Perelman was awarded a Fields Medal (which he declined to accept) for his proof. Conjectures No More? in the September 2006 Notices of the AMS has more background on both conjectures and the proof. The Science website also has background as well as nine other scientific breakthroughs in 2006. [Item posted 12/21/06]
（完） |
|
