AIM, explainedOpen applied problems

Contribute

Submit an explanation

Select a problem from the AIM collection of open applied problems on GitHub and write an explanation or make a video of at most ten minutes about it. Entries remain welcome as a problem progresses from open to partially resolved, claimed, solved or Lean verified. Send a link to your work and a plain-text overview identifying the problem, its repository status, and how your explanation helps its intended audience. The library welcomes contributions at any time, independently of the optional competition.

Open to everyone

Students, independent researchers and anyone interested in the problems can contribute. Entries are assessed on accuracy, clarity and how well they explain the mathematics. AI assistance is optional, and participation does not require endorsing its use.

Submissions are open throughout the year, with time for study and revision before submitting.

Submit directly for private review. No GitHub account or email app is needed.
Your submission must concern a problem listed in the AIM repository. You do not need to have solved the problem or written its proof. Give the problem ID and a link to its entry, cite any proof you discuss, and credit its mathematical authors. For an open or partially resolved problem, make clear what is known and what remains open. Submit suggestions for new open problems to the AIM GitHub repository, following its contribution guidelines. Corrections and additional solutions are welcome there too.
A problem can have several explanations. Papers and videos may address the same conjecture for different audiences or through different examples. An existing explanation does not reserve the topic, and being first to explain or prove it gives no priority.
01 Work details

These names will appear as the explanation’s authors. For joint work, list all authors.

The organisers will use this address to contact you about your entry. It will not appear on your public library page.

Link to the selected problem’s file or directory in the repository, preferably at a fixed commit. Give its problem ID and status (open, partially resolved, claimed, solved, or Lean verified) in your overview, together with citations for any proof you discuss.

Start the link with https://. Paper: a Zenodo record, arXiv abstract or ResearchGate publication page. Video: YouTube or Vimeo. Link to a viewable page, not a direct download, ZIP or executable.

02 Optional competition

The library is open to everyone and exists independently of the competition. You can submit to the library without entering the competition or providing degree and career-status details. Those details are requested only if you choose to enter the competition.

Competition entries close on . Library submissions remain open throughout the year.

Eligible entrants have not completed their first degree, or are graduate students or postdoctoral researchers at academic institutions. See the competition eligibility and joint-entry guidance. Mixed teams should contact the organisers to confirm an arrangement associated with one eligible team member.

03 Overview and sources

Paste readable text, not HTML or code to execute. A paper may focus entirely on the mathematics behind an application; a new proof or a solved conjecture is not required. Describe what you have checked and any remaining uncertainty. Cite the problem’s formulation, earlier partial results and any proofs or expositions you use; acknowledge collaborators and contributions to checking or formalisation where relevant. Include evidence for any formal-verification claims. For a video, include its transcript as well.

If you used AI, briefly describe which parts it assisted and how you checked them. Distinguish language help from assistance with mathematical claims, references or code. If you did not use AI, you can write “none”. Private chat histories are not requested.

Before submitting, check your statements, references and examples, and describe any gaps or uncertainty. You do not need to reprove the results you cite. Reviewers may ask for clarification or revision to make the account useful to its intended readers.

Complete the verification to enable submission.

Wait for the receipt confirmation before closing this page. Your text stays in the form if a submission fails.