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A Number Theorist Who Solves the Hardest Easy Problems
In his rapid ascent to the top of his field, James Maynard has cut a path through simple-sounding questions about prime numbers that have stumped mathematicians for centuries.
The Tricky Math of Herd Immunity for COVID-19
Herd immunity differs from place to place, and many factors influence how it’s calculated.
New Geometric Perspective Cracks Old Problem About Rectangles
While locked down due to COVID-19, Joshua Greene and Andrew Lobb figured out how to prove a version of the “rectangular peg problem.”
The Two Forms of Mathematical Beauty
Mathematicians typically appreciate either generic or exceptional beauty in their work, but one type is more useful in describing the universe.
The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics
Representation theory was initially dismissed. Today, it’s central to much of mathematics.
In a Single Measure, Invariants Capture the Essence of Math Objects
To distinguish between fundamentally different objects, mathematicians turn to invariants that encode the objects’ essential features.
In Mathematics, It Often Takes a Good Map to Find Answers
Mathematicians try to figure out when problems can be solved using current knowledge — and when they have to chart a new path instead.
Symbolic Mathematics Finally Yields to Neural Networks
After translating some of math’s complicated equations, researchers have created an AI system that they hope will answer even bigger questions.
Graduate Student Solves Decades-Old Conway Knot Problem
It took Lisa Piccirillo less than a week to answer a long-standing question about a strange knot discovered over half a century ago by the legendary John Conway.