A Decades-Old Computer Science Puzzle Was Solved in Two Pages

8/10/2019

This article discusses the recent solution to a decades-old computer science puzzle known as the Erdős discrepancy problem. The problem, proposed in the 1930s, involves sequences of 1s and -1s in which the partial sums do not exceed a certain value. The puzzle remained unsolved for many years until recently when mathematician Terence Tao and his colleagues managed to solve it in just two pages. The article highlights the significance of this achievement, as well as the methods and techniques used to solve the problem. It discusses the potential implications of this solution for other areas of computer science and mathematics, demonstrating the progress that continues to be made in tackling long-standing challenges.

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