COLLOQUIUM   LECTURE

       LÁSZLÓ BABAI

           (University of Chicago)

                             Rubik's cube when N goes to infinity

 FRIDAY, November 14th, 15:30

in room  102

ALL WELCOME!
 

Abstract:  The big and still wide open problem about Rubik's cube to estimate the minimum number of steps
required for a solution from the worst starting configuration.  Natural generalizations of this problem
involve permutation groups; we face exponentially large gaps in our knowledge of the number of steps required.
In the talk I'll sketch recent attempts to reduce some of these gaps from exponential to polynomial.  The
methods combine lovely combinatorics, linear algebra, number theory, graphs, groups, and probability.  No
prior knowledge of any of these subjects is required in order to enjoy much of the talk.