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David S. Richeson

Contributing Columnist

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Why Mathematicians Study Knots

By David S. Richeson
October 31, 2022
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Far from being an abstract mathematical curiosity, knot theory has driven many findings in math and beyond.

A graphed cubic equation separates 16th-century scientists Niccolò Fontana Tartaglia, and Gerolamo Cardano
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The Sordid Past of the Cubic Formula

By David S. Richeson
June 30, 2022
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The quest to solve cubic equations led to duels, betrayals — and modern mathematics.

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How We Can Make Sense of Chaos

By David S. Richeson
March 2, 2022
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Dynamical systems can be chaotic and impossible to predict, but mathematicians have discovered tools to help understand them.

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The Journey to Define Dimension

By David S. Richeson
September 13, 2021
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The concept of dimension seems simple enough, but mathematicians struggled for centuries to precisely define and understand it.

Illustration showing a human figure sitting on a large straw, gazing at different topological figures.
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Topology 101: The Hole Truth

By David S. Richeson
January 26, 2021
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The relationships among the properties of flexible shapes have fascinated mathematicians for centuries.

An abstract illustration showing broken tools, cubes, numbers and other abstract representations of impossible math
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When Math Gets Impossibly Hard

By David S. Richeson
September 14, 2020
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Mathematicians have long grappled with the reality that some problems just don’t have solutions.

About the author

David S. Richeson is a professor of mathematics and the John J. & Ann Curley Faculty Chair in the Liberal Arts at Dickinson College. He is the author of Tales of Impossibility: The 2000-Year Quest to Solve the Mathematical Problems of Antiquity and Euler’s Gem: The Polyhedron Formula and the Birth of Topology.
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