FLORENCE, S.C. – Sloan Evans Despeaux will discuss “The Four Color Problem in 19th Century Britain,” Friday (Feb. 27) at Francis Marion University.

 The talk will begin at 2 p.m. in Room 102 of the Leatherman Science Facility. Admission is free and open to the public. The presentation is sponsored by the FMU Department of Mathematics.

 The Four Color Problem took more than a century to prove, and then only with the help of computers to handle massive calculations. The talk will discuss how this problem captivated the attention of 19th century mathematicians.

 Despeaux is a Florence native and an assistant professor of mathematics at Western Carolina University. She graduated from FMU in 1995 and went on to earn a master’s degree from Florida State University and a doctorate from the University of Virginia.

 For more information, contact FMU physics professor Derek Jokisch at 843-661-4653.

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