Two tangled balls of yarn, each knotted in its own way, but the pattern inside is the same. How to figure that out fast? New trick: measure the 'curvature' of bends in each thread—like fingerprints for maze paths. Compare them, and done! It cracks even the trickiest symmetric patterns in seconds. The prospect? Instant search for similar molecules and neural networks.
🎯 Two graphs with the same structure but different drawings are called isomorphic, from the Greek words for 'equal' and 'form'.
🎬 In Neal Stephenson's novel 'Anathem', scientists explore bizarre multidimensional shapes to understand the universe's design—a play with geometry that resonates with this problem.