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The Math of Catastrophe

September 15, 2025

Tipping points in our climate predictions are both wildly dramatic and wildly uncertain. Can mathematicians make them useful?

Quanta Relaunches Hyperjumps Math Game

February 16, 2024

Explore a universe of numbers and arithmetic in our new and improved interactive math game, Hyperjumps!

Hyperjumps Math Game

February 16, 2024

Play Quanta Magazine’s daily interactive math game, Hyperjumps!

The Math Behind Wordle Guesses

December 2, 2022

Wordle is a word game. But you can use math to optimize your chances of winning (without cheating).

How to Win at Wordle (Without Cheating)

Solve these puzzle questions to level up your Wordle game.

How Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcame Astronomical Odds

September 30, 2022

Readers rescued a Star Trek crew from a probabilistic predicament armed only with the power of mathematical reasoning.

Help Star Trek’s Lieutenant Uhura Overcome Astronomical Odds

August 18, 2022

In honor of the actor and activist Nichelle Nichols, this month’s puzzle imagines a Star Trek adventure in which her character, Lieutenant Uhura, faces a life-and-death conundrum.

Seeking Mathematical Truth in Counterfeit Coin Puzzles

July 29, 2022

Readers balanced logical reasoning and mathematical insights to find phony coins with a double-pan balance scale.

How to Weigh Truth With a Balance Scale

June 27, 2022

In recreational mathematics, the balance scale is an endless source of puzzles that require precise and elaborate logic and teach the fundamentals of generalization.

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