How John Bidwell found the optimal 17-square packing may be lost forever
tak3sh8 · x · 2026-09-10
A math anecdote: the quoted post laments that "god is dead and the most efficient way to pack 17 squares into a square killed him," referencing John Bidwell's famous optimal packing of 17 squares found as a University of Hawai'i student. The main post notes sadly that we'll probably never know how Bidwell actually found it — the discovery process went undocumented, leaving a small mystery in math history.
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