Speaker: Dr. Edna Jones, Tulane University

Title: “Apollonian circle packings, integers, and sphere packings”

Abstract: Apollonian circle packings are certain circle configurations in which the circles do not intersect but may be tangent to each other. What do Apollonian circle packings have to do with integers? Under certain conditions, each circle in an Apollonian circle packing has a bend (1/radius) that is an integer! When all the bends are integral, which integers appear as bends? It turns out that this is a hard question to answer. However, it is easier to answer a similar question for analogous higher-dimensional sphere packings.

The KSU Mathematics Colloquium is a seminar series that brings in researchers from other universities to present results on all areas of Mathematics. The talks are targeted at general audiences of students and professors.

This seminar will be held in person.