ABSTRACT

In 1998 Thomas Hales dramatically announced the solution of a problem that has long teased eminent mathematicians: what is the densest possible arrangement of identical spheres? The Pursuit of Perfect Packing recounts the story of this problem and many others that have to do with packing things together. The examples are taken from mathematics, phy

chapter 1|4 pages

How many sweets in the jar?

chapter 2|15 pages

Loose change and tight packing

chapter 3|15 pages

Hard problems with hard spheres

chapter 4|10 pages

Proof positive?

chapter 5|9 pages

Peas and pips

chapter 6|5 pages

Enthusiastic admiration: the honeycomb

chapter 7|16 pages

Toils and troubles with bubbles

chapter 8|16 pages

The architecture of the world of atoms

chapter 9|6 pages

Apollonius and concrete

chapter 10|6 pages

The Giant’s Causeway

chapter 11|10 pages

Soccer balls, golf balls and buckyballs

chapter 12|6 pages

Packings and kisses in high dimensions

chapter 13|14 pages

Odds and ends

chapter 14|1 pages

Conclusion