MATHEMATICS-10
The theorem was first stated by Henri Poincaré in the late 19th century, and there is a much more proper way to mathematically formulate it: “there is no nonvanishing continuous tangent vector field on even-dimensional n-spheres.” Colloquially though, it is expressed in a much simpler way: “you can’t comb a hairy ball flat without creating a cowlick”.
This theorem, which was proven in 1912 by Brouwer has an interesting consequence: in an ideal spherical planet, there is at least one point in which the wind is blowing. The planet doesn’t even need to be perfectly spherical, just needs to be continuous — as in not have a hole in the middle like a doughnut.
It’s impossible to comb all the hairs on a tennis ball in the same direction
The theorem was first stated by Henri Poincaré in the late 19th century, and there is a much more proper way to mathematically formulate it: “there is no nonvanishing continuous tangent vector field on even-dimensional n-spheres.” Colloquially though, it is expressed in a much simpler way: “you can’t comb a hairy ball flat without creating a cowlick”.
This theorem, which was proven in 1912 by Brouwer has an interesting consequence: in an ideal spherical planet, there is at least one point in which the wind is blowing. The planet doesn’t even need to be perfectly spherical, just needs to be continuous — as in not have a hole in the middle like a doughnut.
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