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Math

A Simple Visual Proof of a Powerful Idea

Ramsey’s theorem predicts a surprising (and useful) consistency in the organization of graphs. Here’s a simple visual proof of how it works.

April 13, 2017

Physicists Attack Math’s $1,000,000 Question

Physicists are attempting to map the distribution of the prime numbers to the energy levels of a particular quantum system.

April 6, 2017

Yves Meyer, Wavelet Expert, Wins Abel Prize

The French mathematician was cited “for his pivotal role in the development of the mathematical theory of wavelets.”

March 23, 2017

The Almost-Proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem

19th-century mathematicians thought the “roots of unity” were the key to solving Fermat’s Last Theorem. Then they discovered a fatal flaw.

March 7, 2017

This Man Is About to Blow Up Mathematics

Harvey Friedman is about to bring incompleteness and infinity out of quarantine.

February 17, 2017

The Hidden Twist to Making a Möbius Strip

The simple Möbius strip illustrates a deep mathematical challenge that has long tormented the field of symplectic geometry.

February 10, 2017

How to Build a Probability Microscope

The surprising mathematics of the extremely rare.

January 19, 2017

How Curvature Makes a Shape a Shape

The ancient study of an object’s curvature is guiding mathematicians toward a new understanding of simple equations.

January 9, 2017

The Deceptions of Luck

Nature makes chance, humans make luck.

January 9, 2017