Kevin Hartnett
Kevin Hartnett is a senior writer at Quanta Magazine covering mathematics and computer science. His work has been collected in the the “Best Writing on Mathematics” series in 2013 and 2016. He also writes “Brainiac,” a weekly column for the Boston Globe’s Ideas section.
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John Conway Solved Mathematical Problems With His Bare Hands
The legendary mathematician, who died on April 11, 2020 was curious, colorful and one of the greatest problem-solvers of his generation.
Graced With Knowledge, Mathematicians Seek to Understand
A landmark proof in computer science has also solved an important problem called the Connes embedding conjecture. Mathematicians are working to understand it.
‘Rainbows’ Are a Mathematician’s Best Friend
“Rainbow colorings” recently led to a new proof. It’s not the first time they’ve come in handy.
For Fluid Equations, a Steady Flow of Progress
A startling experimental discovery about how fluids behave started a wave of important mathematical proofs.
Google and IBM Clash Over Milestone Quantum Computing Experiment
Today Google announced that it achieved “quantum supremacy.” Its chief quantum computing rival, IBM, said it hasn’t. The disagreement hinges on what the term really means.
Mathematicians Begin to Tame Wild ‘Sunflower’ Problem
A major advance toward solving the 60-year-old sunflower conjecture is shedding light on how order begins to appear as random systems grow in size.
Computers and Humans ‘See’ Differently. Does It Matter?
In some ways, machine vision is superior to human vision. In other ways, it may never catch up.
Quantum Supremacy Is Coming: Here’s What You Should Know
Researchers are getting close to building a quantum computer that can perform tasks a classical computer can’t. Here’s what the milestone will mean.
A New Law to Describe Quantum Computing’s Rise?
Neven’s law states that quantum computers are improving at a “doubly exponential” rate. If it holds, quantum supremacy is around the corner.
How Randomness Can Make Math Easier
Randomness would seem to make a mathematical statement harder to prove. In fact, it often does the opposite.
A New Approach to Multiplication Opens the Door to Better Quantum Computers
In practice, quantum computers can’t run many programs that classical computers can, because they’re not allowed to selectively forget information. A new algorithm for multiplication shows a way around that problem.
Smaller Is Better: Why Finite Number Systems Pack More Punch
Recent progress on the “sum product” problem recalls a celebrated mathematical result that revealed the power of miniature number systems.











