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Why Mathematicians Re-Prove What They Already Know
...bother to do this? For one thing, it’s fun. More importantly, “I think the line between recreational math and serious math is very thin,” said William Gasarch, a professor of...
Strange Numbers Found in Particle Collisions
...collision will play out as sketched. “In some sense Feynman invented this diagram to encode complicated math as a bookkeeping device,” said Sergei Gukov, a theoretical physicist and mathematician at...
Rediet Abebe on Using Algorithms for Social Justice
...letters from some of the world’s top mathematicians saying what a tremendous talent she was in abstract math. And curiously — and for me very exciting — she wanted to...
Robbert Dijkgraaf on Exploring Quantum Reality
...call it quantum mathematics in physics. But I think it’s also very important movement just within pure math itself. [MUSIC PLAYING] Strogatz: When he speaks of quantum mathematics, he means...
Game Theory Calls Cooperation Into Question
...strategies were selfish ones that led to extortion, not cooperation. Plotkin found the duo’s math remarkable in its elegance. But the outcome troubled him. Nature includes numerous examples of cooperative...
Solution: ‘The Slippery Eel of Probability’
...satisfy a given condition divided by the total number of all configurations. This abstract approach is what gives mathematics its power and generality. But it’s also responsible for math’s reputation...
A Tricky Path to Quantum-Safe Encryption
...this looming threat, cryptographers have been racing to develop “quantum-resistant” schemes efficient enough for widespread use. The most promising schemes are believed to be those based on the mathematics of...
The Beautiful Mathematical Explorations of Maryam Mirzakhani
...as “unrelatable and incomprehensible,” given that they were “math challenged.” However, Maryam was the opposite of unrelatable. She reminded us, in words and actions, that mathematical ideas can be understood...
The Mathematician Who Delights in Building Bridges
...her experiences in mathematics and her work on the Langlands program, which has been described as a way to create a “grand unified theory of mathematics.” The interview has been...