Korean mathematician finally solves the moving sofa problem that stumped scientists for 60 years
artthreat.net • • science
Key Points:
- Baek Jin-eon, a 31-year-old Korean mathematician, solved the moving sofa problem—a geometry puzzle unsolved for nearly 60 years—using pure logical reasoning without computers.
- The moving sofa problem asks for the largest shape that can navigate a right-angle turn in a one-meter-wide hallway; previous estimates by Hammersley and Gerver gave approximate solutions, but no proof of optimality existed.
- Baek spent seven years developing a rigorous 119-page mathematical proof demonstrating that Gerver’s shape is indeed the largest possible, marking a major theoretical breakthrough.
- His work was published on arXiv in late 2024 and is under review at the Annals of Mathematics, with Scientific American naming it one of the top ten mathematical advances of 2025.
- Baek continues research in combinatorial geometry, viewing this achievement as a foundation for future problems rather than a conclusion.