Smale's paradox

proper noun

The non-intuitive fact that it is possible to turn a sphere inside out in a three-dimensional space with possible self-intersections but without creating any crease.

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Meanings

proper noun
  1. mathematicsThe non-intuitive fact that it is possible to turn a sphere inside out in a three-dimensional space with possible self-intersections but without creating any crease.

Origin

First proven in 1957 by Stephen Smale.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Smale's paradox. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Smale's%20paradox

MLA

“Smale's paradox.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Smale's%20paradox. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Smale's paradox,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Smale's%20paradox.

Source: Smale's paradox on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.