After 20 Years, Math Couple Solves Major Group Theory Problem
1 min read
Summary
In the 1970s John McKay made a conjecture that had ties to the behavior of groups, but was so seemingly unrelated that it was thought to be nearly impossible to ever solve.
After decades of failed attempts, the so-called McKay Conjecture appeared again in a different form, which mathematicians believed they could tackle.
But the proof of this new version also appeared out of reach, until a German mathematician, Britta Späth, took it on and spent the next 20 years trying to solve it.
She was joined in this quest by her partner, Marc Cabanes, and the two of them spent more than a decade on the problem, fighting with it and struggling with the personal implications of such a massive mathematical undertaking.
But now, finally, they have succeeded in solving it.
Their work has delighted the mathematical community.
