What mathematical theorem, the first major theorem to be solved using a computer, was proven in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken with a set of 1936 maps?
Four color theorem 1800s, the four color theorem was proved in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken, but only after many false proofs and counterexamples. It was the first major theorem to be proved using a computer. Initially, their proof was not accepted by all mathematicians because the computer-assisted proof was infeasible for a human to check by hand. Since then the proof has gained wide acceptance, although some doubters remain. To dispel any remaining doubts about the Appel–Haken proof, a simpler proof using the same ideas and still relying on computers was published in 1997 by Robertson, Sanders, Seymour, and Thomas.
Four color theorem in over 400 pages of microfiche, which had to be checked by hand with the assistance of Haken's daughter Dorothea Blostein . Appel and Haken's announcement was widely reported by the news media around the world, and the math department at the University of Illinois used a postmark stating "Four colors suffice." At the same time the unusual nature of the proof—it was the first major theorem to be proved with extensive computer assistance—and the complexity of the human-verifiable portion aroused considerable controversy . In the early 1980s, rumors spread of a flaw in the Appel–Haken proof. Ulrich Schmidt at