- New IFT Responde video on Navier-Stokes: the physics of the Millennium Prize problem solved by AI.
AI has solved the mathematical problem of the Navier-Stokes equations, but what is the physical significance of these equations and their solution?
In this video, Karl Landsteiner, a researcher at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (IFT), immerses us in fluid physics to explain how the Navier-Stokes equations describe the motion of everything that flows, why they represent one of the greatest mathematical challenges in history, and exactly what the recent solution proposed by OpenAI means.
You will discover how a smooth flow can end up generating singularities—ever-smaller vortices where velocity scales to infinity. This phenomenon demonstrates how the Navier-Stokes equations themselves mark the limit of their own validity, requiring supplementation by Special Relativity within the framework of complex relativistic hydrodynamics.
A fascinating journey through fluid physics: why fluids flow, how turbulence arises, and how basic physical principles conceal one of science’s deepest mathematical enigmas.
Video by: Karl Landsteiner
Production: Daniel Aller, Ángel Uranga, and Laura Marcos