Kissing number problem

The Kissing Number Problem asks how many identical spheres can touch another identical sphere without overlapping. Imagine a single basketball surrounded by smaller basketballs; the problem seeks the maximum number of smaller balls that can fit snugly around it. This number varies based on the dimension we're considering: in three dimensions, it’s 12, while in two dimensions, it’s 6 (like coins touching a flat circle). This problem ties into various fields, including mathematics, physics, and packing theory, helping us understand spatial relationships and arrangements in both theoretical and practical contexts.