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Steve Nadis

Contributing Writer

Latest Articles

graph theory

New Proof Reveals That Graphs With No Pentagons Are Fundamentally Different

By Steve Nadis
April 26, 2021
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Researchers have proved a special case of the Erdős-Hajnal conjecture, which shows what happens in graphs that exclude anything resembling a pentagon.

A graphic showing that changing any of the digits of 505, 447 turns it into a composite number
prime numbers

Mathematicians Find a New Class of Digitally Delicate Primes

By Steve Nadis
March 30, 2021
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Despite finding no specific examples, researchers have proved the existence of a pervasive kind of prime number so delicate that changing any of its infinite digits renders it composite.

Illustration of a black goat with a red leash, grazing at the intersection of two circles
geometry

After Centuries, a Seemingly Simple Math Problem Gets an Exact Solution

By Steve Nadis
December 9, 2020
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Mathematicians have long pondered the reach of a grazing goat tied to a fence, only finding approximate answers until now.

Harvard professor L. Mahadevan stands in a slightly cluttered office, holding an apple and a jar containing a miniature brain
Q&A

A Scientist Who Delights in the Mundane

By Steve Nadis
October 26, 2020
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From crumpled paper to termite mounds to three-sided coins, L. Mahadevan has turned the whole world into his laboratory.

A comically long “missing persons” poster for an odd perfect number that shows all the restrictions it has to satisfy.
number theory

Mathematicians Open a New Front on an Ancient Number Problem

By Steve Nadis
September 10, 2020
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For millennia, mathematicians have wondered whether odd perfect numbers exist, establishing an extraordinary list of restrictions for the hypothetical objects in the process. Insight on this question could come from studying the next best things.

John Priscu holds an ice core sample in a sterile laboratory.
Q&A

He Found ‘Islands of Fertility’ Beneath Antarctica’s Ice

By Steve Nadis
July 20, 2020
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John Priscu’s search for life that thrives under ice took him to subglacial lakes at the South Pole. Now he has his eye on Mars and Europa.

Animation of black hole formation.
mathematical physics

New Math Proves That a Special Kind of Space-Time Is Unstable

By Steve Nadis
May 11, 2020
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Einstein’s equations describe three canonical configurations of space-time. Now one of these three — important in the study of quantum gravity — has been shown to be inherently unstable.

Animation of a black hole rotating.
Abstractions blog

Black Hole Singularities Are as Inescapable as Expected

By Steve Nadis
December 2, 2019
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For the first time, physicists have calculated exactly what kind of singularity lies at the center of a realistic black hole.


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