Download or read book The Four-Color Theorem written by Rudolf Fritsch and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book discusses a famous problem that helped to define the field now known as topology: What is the minimum number of colors required to print a map so that no two adjoining countries have the same color? This problem remained unsolved until the 1950s, when it was finally cracked using a computer. This book discusses the history and mathematics of the problem, as well as the philosophical debate which ensued, regarding the validity of computer generated proofs.