That was fun.
On another note, I dislike how “Zero-Knowledge Proofs” are called proofs. It’s not a proof. You iteratively increase your belief that the result is true, like in experimentation, but that’s not a proof.
Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
11–20 of 177 posts
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#12Just FYI the “map of the UK” includes the Republic of Ireland, which is very much not part of the UK. There’s not a 100% great term for the collective unit of land. Generally people go with “UK & Ireland” if they’re trying to be sensitive.
'British Isles' identify the geographic islands.
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#13The Republic of Ireland (the west most region on the first page) isn't part of the United Kingdom. The term for the group of regions shown is 'the British Isles'. See https://qntm.org/uk While it seems like a trivial distinction the whole thing is somewhat fraught ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubles ).
Whoops! Switched to "British Isles" -- update should be percolating now
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#14Just FYI the “map of the UK” includes the Republic of Ireland, which is very much not part of the UK. There’s not a 100% great term for the collective unit of land. Generally people go with “UK & Ireland” if they’re trying to be sensitive.
Thanks for pointing this out! Switched to "British Isles" -- update should be percolating now
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#15Hi, my two cents; you claim "Although mathematicians believe their proof is correct, it is too complex to verify without computer assistance", but I'm not sure "believe" is the correct verb since the proof has been formally verified (see for instance https://github.com/coq-community/fourcolor for a formal verification in Coq). I understand that you want to emphasize the fact that no human can understand the proof wit…
Good point! I'll try to think about a better way to phrase this (happy to hear suggestions)
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#16Can you add to the FAQ at the end an answer to the question "How do I know you're not just showing me two random colors?"? It's possible this is already addressed and I missed it.
Thanks for the feedback! As hcs suggests, this is part of the physical post-it assumption. I'll think about ways to make it more clear -- adding an FAQ is a good idea :)
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#17Can you add to the FAQ at the end an answer to the question "How do I know you're not just showing me two random colors?"? It's possible this is already addressed and I missed it.
You do need to prove that you have assigned the colors before the choice of what to reveal is made, I think. Physically this is guaranteed by the presence of the colors under the post-its (barring dynamic e-paper or something). I'm not sure how it works with the example of the primes, I lost the link to the later pages of the game so I can't read over it again, but I think it's guaranteed because there's just one num…
You're exactly right. The definition via primes ensures there is only one color consistent with each number (formally, this is called a perfectly binding commitment scheme). Also, here's the link if you want to go back: rahulilango.com/coloring/zk
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#18Hi, my two cents; you claim "Although mathematicians believe their proof is correct, it is too complex to verify without computer assistance", but I'm not sure "believe" is the correct verb since the proof has been formally verified (see for instance https://github.com/coq-community/fourcolor for a formal verification in Coq). I understand that you want to emphasize the fact that no human can understand the proof wit…
Good point! I'll try to think about a better way to phrase this (happy to hear suggestions)
"Although mathematicians have been able to prove this, the proof is too complex to verify without computer assistance."
Or some such.
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#19Just FYI the “map of the UK” includes the Republic of Ireland, which is very much not part of the UK. There’s not a 100% great term for the collective unit of land. Generally people go with “UK & Ireland” if they’re trying to be sensitive.
'British Isles' identify the geographic islands.
If anyone is unsure, please refer to this simple diagram:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminology_of_the_British_Isl...
Obvious, really! :)
Re: Show HN: I made a puzzle game that gently introduces my favorite math mysteries
#20[spoiler alert]
I knew that 4 colours sufficed for any arbitrary map from back in the day when I learned this, but still I found it VERY rewarding by attempting to draw a map that needed 5 colors, and how intuitive this demo was for getting a "feel" for a thing that I knew only theoretically! Like I needed an impossible geometry to fit, either an area that stretched to a zero-width path (which would becomes a point, and thus 2 areas, so doesn't fit) or some other "impossible" geometry. Loved it, congrats on a really well executed idea!