How a Mathematician Solved a Problem That Puzzled Computer Scientists for 30 Years

#28 in our top science stories of 2019.

By Stephen Ornes
Dec 23, 2019 4:00 PMDec 30, 2019 4:00 PM
Hao-Huang
Mathematician Hao Huang. (Credit: Kay Hinton/Emory University)

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On July 1, Emory University mathematician Hao Huang quietly proved a theorem — and the mathematics and computer science worlds roared. In an elegant argument, laid out over six pages, Huang unequivocally proved the sensitivity conjecture, a thorn in the side of computer scientists for decades. 

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