Bill Gates Believes This New Mathematical Discovery Is 'Really Cool'

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has lauded the discovery of a miracle that has long intrigued mathematicians and hobbyists alike.

What Happened: Gates seems to be delighted by the discovery of ‘einstein,' an "aperiodic monotile," which is a shape that can tile an infinite two-dimensional flat surface but only in a non-repeating pattern.

David Smith from Bridlington in East Yorkshire, England, suspected last November that he might have finally solved the open problem in the mathematics of tiling, according to a report by The New York Times. "I'm always messing about and experimenting with shapes," said the self-described shape hobbyist, according to the report.

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What Is Einstein: To explain the concept, consider a typical wallpaper or a tiled floor that is part of an infinite pattern which repeats periodically. When shifted or "translated," the pattern can be perfectly superimposed on itself. However, an aperiodic tiling doesn't display any "translational symmetry," the report said, adding that mathematicians have been looking for a single shape that could tile the plane in such a manner.

Bill Gates appeared to be delighted by the new finding. "This new discovery in mathematics is really cool," he tweeted.

Paper: Following his discovery, Smith contacted Dr Craig Kaplan, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario and together they worked to confirm that the hat was indeed an einstein shape, reported The Guardian.

Early in 2023, the duo decided to take help from Dr Chaim Goodman-Strauss, a University of Arkansas mathematician, and Dr Joseph Myers, a software developer in Cambridge, England. The four men are co-authors on a paper, the report said.

Kaplan says it's unclear what the discovery could lead to outside the world of mathematics but said there are lots of great real-world applications in art, design, architecture. "The race is on to be the first person to take a photo of their bathroom floor tiled in hats," he said according to the report.

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