Topological Proof of the Insolvability of the Quintic
Speaker: JamieTitle: Topological Proof of the Insolvability of the Quintic
Date: 25 Mar 2022 12:00-13:00 EST
Location: SEC Level 3 NW Terrace
Food: Pizza
Abstract: The Abel-Ruffini Theorem is arguably the first ever result in complexity theory, stating that there is no formula that computes the roots of an arbitrary complex degree 5+ polynomial in terms of its coefficients, comprised only of the operations +, -, *, /, and radicals. The most well-known proof today uses Galois Theory and typically takes a whole course to understand. I’m going to explain an alternative proof (Vladimir Arnold’s “topological proof”) that can be understood in 30 minutes, assuming only some very basic group theory and knowledge of what taking kth roots looks like in the complex plane. I plan to follow the theme of this semester’s TGINF series: presenting for 5 minutes as if to a child, then teenager, college student, PhD student, and finally expert. This will be a multimedia, interactive presentation, so bring your laptops if you can! (Phones work OK, but laptops are better.)