BROADCASTS.com

b'

Lisa Piccirillo is a mathematician specializing in the study of three- and four-dimensional spaces. Her work in four-manifold topology has surprising applications to the study of mathematical knots.

Perhaps most notably, Piccirillo proved that the infamous Conway knot is not, quote-unquote, \\u201cslice.\\u201d For all other small knots, \\u201csliceness\\u201d is readily determined, but this particular knot had remained a mystery since English mathematician John Conway presented it in the mid-1900s. After hearing about the problem at a conference, Piccirillo took only a week to formulate a proof, thus solving a 50-year old mystery.

Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

\\xa0