Israeli solves the math of giving directions

Amazing. Reading this it appears a 63 year old Russian émigré to Israel has solved a 38 year old math puzzle: how to give perfect directions.

I’m not sure I get the ins and outs but… Wow!

A mathematical puzzle that baffled the top minds in the esoteric field of symbolic dynamics for nearly four decades has been cracked — by a 63-year-old immigrant who once had to work as a security guard.

Avraham Trahtman, a mathematician who also toiled as a laborer after moving to Israel from Russia, succeeded where dozens failed, solving the elusive “Road Coloring Problem.”

The conjecture essentially assumed it’s possible to create a “universal map” that can direct people to arrive at a certain destination, at the same time, regardless of starting point. Experts say the proposition could have real-life applications in mapping and computer science.

After 38 Years, Israeli Solves Math Code [Chicago Tribune] Thanks Dave Farber