METHODS AND APPLICATIONS OF ANALYSIS. 2000 International Press Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 591-604, September 2000 012

1. Initial Data Set formulation The initial data set is given by (gij, pij) on a three dimensional manifold where gij is asymptotically euclidean (so that asymptotic quantities can be defined) and pij falls off quadratically. We also study the case when g^ is asymptotically hyperbolic and the three manifold is asymptotically null. Several important questions remain unsolved for the initial data set and its Cauchy development.

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This is the <i>Leonardo da Vinci Lecture</i> given in Milan in March 2006. It is a survey on the concept of space-time over the last 3000years: it starts with Euclidean geometry, discusses the contributions of Gauss and Riemannian geometry, presents the dynamic concept of space-time in Einsteins general relativity, describes the importance of symmetries, and ends with Calabi-Yau manifolds and their importance in todays string theories in the attempt for a unified theory of physics.

In this work, we introduce two sets of algorithms inspired by the ideas from modern geometry. One is computational conformal geometry method, including harmonic maps, holomorphic 1-forms and Ricci flow. The other one is optimization method using affine normals.