The Hanging Problem: A group fundamental to art

The year is 1895. A wealthy art collector is sick of looking at all her paintings and wants to donate them to Henri Poincaré. In her annoyance at their beauty, she donates them with one stipulation: each one must be hung from a singular string wrapped around two nails such that if either nail is removed, the painting shall fall. In this talk, we will study Poincaré’s brilliant hanging technique. Whether this problem looks like a math problem or a riddle to you, homotopy theory awaits. This talk is intended to be exceptionally approachable to all undergraduates regardless of academic discipline.

The talk will begin promptly at 4:30 pm.

Learn more at the Math Table website.