What’s the smallest number of colours you can use to fill any map so that no two colours touch? This question may, at first glance, seem like a rather trivial curiosity, but, as this video from Quanta Magazine explains, this question has had incredibly important theoretical and practical implications for mathematics. With expert interviews and nifty animations, the piece traces the ‘four colour theorem’ from its origins in the mid-19th century to today. In doing so, the video details how early computing technology would ultimately help a pair of mathematicians prove that four is indeed the magic number, making it the first major computer-assisted mathematical proof.
Video by Quanta Magazine
Producer: Joy Ng
video
Family life
The precious family keepsakes that hold meaning for generations
10 minutes
video
Neuroscience
This intricate map of a fruit fly brain could signal a revolution in neuroscience
2 minutes
video
Archaeology
What did the first people who entered Tutankhamun’s tomb see?
5 minutes
video
Information and communication
Coverage of the ‘balloon boy’ hoax forms a withering indictment of for-profit news
17 minutes
video
Childhood and adolescence
Marmar is living through a devastating war – but she’d rather tell you about her new dress
8 minutes
video
Computing and artificial intelligence
The ‘cloud’ requires heaps of energy to stay aloft. Could synthetic DNA be the answer?
12 minutes
video
History
There are fragments of Romani Gypsy history all over the UK – if one knows where to look
3 minutes
video
Biology
Brilliant dots of colour form exquisite patterns in this close-up of butterfly wings
3 minutes
video
Anthropology
Does Mogi’s future lie with her horses on the Mongolian steppe, or in the city?
16 minutes