Tantalizing Unsolved Problems

Mathematics is an extremely deep and extensive subject, but amazingly we are surrounded by easily stated mathematical problems about which almost nothing is known. These kinds of problems tantalize mathematicians with their combination of simplicity and intractability. In this talk, Richard Schwartz will give examples of problems like this, and explain the mixture of failures and (modest) successes he has had investigating these kinds of simple problems. His tendency is to tackle geometric problems and study them with the aid of graphical user interfaces he creates, so along with describing several problems, Schwartz will share some of his computer programs.