From the Königsberg Bridges to DNA Sequencing

Document Type

Presentation Abstract

Presentation Date

9-6-2001

Abstract

In the town of Königsberg there were seven bridges connecting a number of islands. The question was whether a citizen could take a single walk that would cross every bridge exactly once. Euler solved this problem and a whole family of problems like this one, and we will discuss the solution that he found. We will also describe some of the applications of this subject to contemporary DNA sequencing, so these questions are of practical importance as well as being very pretty. You might enjoy having a look at the web pages The Beginnings of Topology, and "New path lays DNA puzzles bare", to get a little background material. I'll also say a few words about how computers can now do some things that used to be thought of as do-able only by human mathematicians. The list of such things is growing steadily.

Additional Details

This lecture is intended for a general audience.

This talk is part of The Big Sky Conference, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Mathematical Sciences.

Thursday, 6 September 2001
8:00 p.m. in Music Recital Hall

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