Poincaré conjecture

In mathematics, the Poincaré conjecture is a theorem about the characterization of the 3-sphere, which is the hypersphere that bounds the unit ball in four-dimensional space. The conjecture states: Every simply connected, closed 3-manifold is homeomorphic to the 3-sphere. Quotes Posed in 1904 by Henri Poincaré, the leading mathematician of his era and among the most gifted of all time, the Poincaré conjecture is a bold guess about nothing less than the potential shape of our own universe. Donal O'Shea The Poincaré Conjecture: In Search of the Shape of the Universe http://books.google.com/books?id=x9VYri6ZgkkC&pg=PT13 30 October 2008 Penguin Books Limited 978-0-14-190034-6 13 External links Category:Mathematical theorems