fourcoloring

Four-coloring is a concept in graph theory, a branch of mathematics that studies the properties of graphs, which are structures consisting of vertices (or nodes) connected by edges (or lines). The four-color theorem states that any planar graph, which can be drawn on a plane without edges crossing, can be colored using no more than four colors such that no two adjacent regions share the same color. This theorem was first conjectured in 1852 by Francis Guthrie and was proven in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken using a computer-assisted proof. The theorem has significant implications in various fields, including map-making, scheduling, and network design. The four-coloring problem is a classic example of a mathematical problem that was solved using advanced computational techniques.