 |
|
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
|
Tait's conjecture
A hypothesis put forward Peter Tait in 1884, which says that every polyhedron has a Hamiltonian cycle through its vertices. In other words, it is possible to travel around all the edges of a polyhedron, passing through each vertex (corner) exactly once and arriving back at the starting point. If true, Tait's Conjecture would have provided an immediate proof of the four-color theorem. However, in 1946, the British mathematician William Tutte (1917-2002), whose work at Bletchley Park on cracking the German FISH cipher played an important role in World War II, found a counterexample to the conjecture in the form of a polygon with 25 faces, 69 edges, and 46 vertices.
Related category
• GRAPHS AND GRAPH THEORY
Also on this site:
Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History
Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site)