Mathematicians thought they were on the cusp of proving a conjecture about the ancient structures known as Apollonian circles. But a summer project would lead to its downfall. The post Two Students Shoot Down a Widely Believed Math Conjecture first appeared on Quanta Magazine
Summer Haag and Clyde Kertzer had high hopes for their summer research project. Blindsiding an entire subfield of mathematics was not one of them. In May, Haag was finishing her first year of graduate school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where Kertzer was an undergraduate. Both looked forward to a break from classes. Haag planned to explore new hikes and climbing routes. Kertzer…