Thomas Callister Hales

Born	{{{birth_date}}}
Residence	USA
Nationality	American
Field	Mathematician
Institution	University of Pittsburgh
Alma Mater	Princeton University
Known for	Kepler Conjecture

Thomas Callister Hales is an American mathematician who provided computer-aided proof of the Kepler Conjecture that the most efficient way to pack spheres was in a pyramid shape. Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... Leonhard Euler is considered by many to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time A mathematician is the person whose primary area of study and research is the field of mathematics. ... The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States of America. ... In mathematics, the Kepler conjecture is a conjecture about sphere packing in three dimensional Euclidean space. ... Leonhard Euler is considered by many to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time A mathematician is the person whose primary area of study and research is the field of mathematics. ... In mathematics, a proof is a demonstration that, assuming certain axioms, some statement is necessarily true. ... In mathematics, the Kepler conjecture is a conjecture about sphere packing in three dimensional Euclidean space. ...

Hales, the University of Pittsburgh Mellon Professor of mathematics, advocates the formalization of mathematics to ensure rigor in an era where proofs are becoming increasingly complex and computers are becoming necessary to perform verification. The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, known today as the father of geometry; shown here in a detail of The School of Athens by Raphael. ...

Hales's current project, called Flyspeck, seeks to formalize his proof of the Kepler Conjecture in the computer theorem prover HOL Light. The various HOL (which stands for Higher Order Logic) systems are a family of interactive theorem proving systems sharing similar logics and implementation strategies. ...

Education and career

Hales received his Ph.D in mathematics in Princeton University. In 1998, he had a proof of the Kepler Conjecture. Today, he is the University of Pittsburgh Mellon Professor of mathematics. Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, known today as the father of geometry; shown here in a detail of The School of Athens by Raphael. ... Princeton University is a coeducational private university located in Princeton, New Jersey in the United States of America. ... In mathematics, the Kepler conjecture is a conjecture about sphere packing in three dimensional Euclidean space. ... The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related, doctoral/research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Euclid, Greek mathematician, 3rd century BC, known today as the father of geometry; shown here in a detail of The School of Athens by Raphael. ...

References

• (2005) "Proof and Beauty". The Economist.

The Economist is a weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London, UK. It has been in continuous publication since September 1843. ...

External links

• Hales's page at the University of Pittsburgh Math Department
• The Flyspeck Project
• Hales solves oldest problem in discrete geometry