After 20 years, math couple solves major group theory problem

After the conjecture was posed in the 1970s, dozens of mathematicians tried their hand at proving it. They made partial progress — and in the process they learned a great deal about groups, which are abstract objects that describe the various symmetries of a mathematical system. But a full proof seemed out of reach. Then Späth came along. Now, 20 years after she first learned about the problem and more than a decade after she met Cabanes, the two mathematicians have finally completed the proof. When the couple announced their result, their colleagues were in awe. “I wanted there to be parades,” said Persi Diaconis of Stanford University. “Years of hard, hard, hard work, and she did it, they did it.” The Power of Primes The McKay conjecture began with the observation of a strange coincidence. John McKay — described by one friend as “brilliant, soft-spoken, and charmingly disorganized” — was known for his ability to spot numerical patterns in unexpected places. The Concordia Univers ... Read full article.