Problem dossier · Geometry & Packing
Tammes problem
Place n points on a sphere maximizing the minimum pairwise distance. Find and certify the optimal configurations.
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Status
Solved exactly only for n ≤ 14 and n = 24; everything else rests on numerical best-known configurations.
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The Angle of Attack
Numerical optimization (gradient flows, basin hopping) for n = 20–50 against the record tables; attempt certified optimality for the smallest open n via interval arithmetic.
Tags: sphere packing · spherical codes · optimization
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The Lab
No instruments built yet. When this problem gets tackled, its interactive instruments — explorers, searches, verifiers running in the browser — live here. See the Collatz dossier for what a fully tackled problem looks like.
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The Log
Empty. Work on this problem gets logged here as dated entries — constructions tried, code run, dead ends included. Dead ends are results.
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Related Problems
More open problems in Geometry & Packing and adjacent territory.
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- Square packing in a square — Geometry & Packing