The Beauty of the Poincaré Conjecture

Explore the nature of three-dimensional space and the beauty of mathematical topology in this accessible talk by Dr. Steve Trettel.

Originally posed over a century ago by Henri Poincaré, the Poincare Conjecture asked a deep question about the nature of three dimensional space. Its first proof in 2002 opened our (mathematical) eyes to the beauty of three dimensional universes — filled with curved geometries, wormholes, and a lot of pretty math. This presentation, assuming only a high school math background, will explore the beauty of these ideas.

Dr. Steve Trettel is Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of San Francisco. He is a geometric topologist who loves computer graphics and a good bike ride.

Presented in partnership with Wonderfest: The Bay Area Beacon of Science.