This talk addresses the problem of packing space with congruent regular tetrahedra, in finite clusters and in the whole space. It describes its 2,000-year history of the problem and its connections with physics, mathematics and materials science.

4:30pm-5:30pm: Colloquium
5:30pm-6:30pm: Reception
This event will be held at ICERM and is free and open to the public.
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About the Speaker

Professor Jeffrey Lagarias's interests are diverse. His initial training was in analytic and algebraic number theory. After receiving his PhD in 1974, he worked at Bell Laboratories and AT&T Labs until 2003, on problems in many pure and applied fields. Besides number theory, he has made contributions in harmonic analysis (wavelets and fractals), mathematical optimization (interior point methods), discrete geometry (tilings and quasicrystals), ergodic theory, low-dimensional topology (complexity of unknotting), and theoretical computer science.

Professor Lagarias is the recipient of several awards, including the MAA's Lester R. Ford Award. Most recently he was named a Senior Scholar at the Clay Mathematics Institute.