Heesch's problem
In geometry, the Heesch number of a shape is the maximum number of layers of copies of the same shape that can surround it. Heesch's problem is the problem of determining the set of numbers that can be Heesch numbers. Both are named for geometer Heinrich Heesch, who found a tile with Heesch number 1 (the union of a square, equilateral triangle, and 30-60-90 right triangle) and proposed the more general problem. For example, a square may be surrounded by infinitely many layers of congruent squares in the square tiling, while a circle cannot be surrounded by even a single layer of congruent circles without leaving some gaps. The Heesch number of the square is infinite and the Heesch number of the circle is zero. In more complicated examples, such as the one shown in the illustration, a polygonal tile can be surrounded by several layers, but not by infinitely many; the maximum number of layers is the tile's Heesch number. (Wikipedia).
