In this talk, Robin J. Wilson will present the history and solution of the four-color problem: Can every map be colored with just four colors so that neighboring countries are colored differently? The solution took 124 years to find, and used 1200 hours of computer time. But what did it involve, is it really a solution, and what role did the University of Illinois play in solving the problem? This illustrated lecture is open to anyone interested in this fascinating (and colorful) topic.
A reception follows in 239 Altgeld Hall.