Geometric packing problems involve arranging objects of given shapes within a confined region so as to maximise density, minimise wasted space or satisfy prescribed distance and balance constraints.

Have you ever wondered about the best way to pack a finite number of identical spheres into a shape-shifting flexible container, like a convex hull? An intuitively simple problem concerning the best ...

After just a few months of work, a complete newcomer to the world of sphere packing has solved one of its biggest open problems. In math, the search for optimal patterns never ends. The sphere-packing ...

How bees, beer cans and big data all solve the same problem: not enough space. By Steven Strogatz Photo illustrations by Jens Mortensen Each installment of “Math, Revealed” starts with an object, ...