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Kevin Hartnett

Kevin Hartnett

Contributing Writer

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Latest Articles

Svitlana Mayboroda
mathematical physics

Mathematicians Tame Rogue Waves, Lighting Up Future of LEDs

By Kevin Hartnett
August 22, 2017
Comment
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The mathematician Svitlana Mayboroda and collaborators have figured out how to predict the behavior of electrons — a mathematical discovery that could have immediate practical effects.

Classes of geometric structures
Abstractions blog

Why Mathematicians Like to Classify Things

By Kevin Hartnett
August 15, 2017
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It’s “a definitive study for all time, like writing the final book,” says one researcher who’s mapping out new classes of geometric structures.

Heavenly billiards
geometry

New Shapes Solve Infinite Pool-Table Problem

By Kevin Hartnett
August 8, 2017
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Two “rare jewels” have illuminated a mysterious multidimensional object that connects a huge variety of mathematical work.

Kaisa Matomäki
Q&A

Kaisa Matomäki Dreams of Primes

By Kevin Hartnett
July 20, 2017
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Kaisa Matomäki has proved that properties of prime numbers over long intervals hold over short intervals as well. The techniques she uses have transformed the study of these elusive numbers.

Graph
Abstractions blog

The Tricky Translation of Mathematical Ideas

By Kevin Hartnett
June 28, 2017
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Big advances in math can happen when mathematicians move ideas into areas where they seem like they shouldn’t belong.

June Huh at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, N.J.
algebraic geometry

A Path Less Taken to the Peak of the Math World

By Kevin Hartnett
June 27, 2017
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June Huh thought he had no talent for math until a chance meeting with a legendary mind. A decade later, his unorthodox approach to mathematical thinking has led to major breakthroughs.

Paul Erdős
Abstractions blog

Cash for Math: The Erdős Prizes Live On

By Kevin Hartnett
June 5, 2017
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Paul Erdős placed small bounties on hundreds of unsolved math problems. Over the past 20 years, only a handful have been claimed.

Combinatorics and constellations
combinatorics

A Puzzle of Clever Connections Nears a Happy End

By Kevin Hartnett
May 30, 2017
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The three young friends who devised the “happy ending” problem would become some of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century, but were never able to solve their own puzzle. Now it receives its first big breakthrough.

Abstractions blog

A Simple Visual Proof of a Powerful Idea

By Kevin Hartnett
April 13, 2017
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Ramsey’s theorem predicts a surprising (and useful) consistency in the organization of graphs. Here’s a simple visual proof of how it works.


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