Find the solution to one of the most difficult math problems

Mathematicians Andrew Booker and Andrew Sutherland solved a problem, posed in 1954. It is to solve for the equation x3 + y3 + z3 = k , where k is a natural number less than 100. In decades over the last century, we have found solutions for all numbers, except for k = 33 and 42, according to Science Alert.

Andrew Booker and Andrew Sutherland solved the equation x3 + y3 + z3 = k.(Illustration).

Booker became interested in this problem in 2019 after watching a video on YouTube, and inspired him to create a new algorithm: the solution for number 33 was found three weeks later, on April. These are 8,866,128,975,287,528, −8,778,405,442,862,239 and −2,736,11,468,807,040.

The hardest part was identifying three numbers with k = 42. Booker asked his colleague Sutherland for help.

Scientists have used the Charity Engine project , combining the computing power of more than 500 thousand common computers around the planet into a single "supercomputer" . As a result, the necessary numbers were found. These are −80538738812075974, 80435758145817515 and 12602123297335631.

Therefore, all triples for quantities less than one hundred have been determined. Booker admitted that when the problem was solved, he was relieved. Now mathematicians can start searching for solutions for numbers greater than 100 - k = 114 which is still the smallest unresolved case.

1. A mathematician has just solved a 160-year-old math problem worth $ 1 million
2. The super-difficult problem that existed for decades has been solved, the answer weighed up to 200TB