The squaring a circle with compass and straightedge has been known to be impossible for 140 years.
We're obviously talking about the version of the problem everyone's been working on for roughly the last 100.
We're obviously talking about the version of the problem everyone's been working on for roughly the last 100.
- You can't do it with a compass and a straightedge, like the ancients were trying (1880's?)
- You can't do it with scissors, either (mid-20th century?)
- But with modern mathematics, and really complicated shapes-- you can. (now).