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The Jagged, Monstrous Function That Broke Calculus
...everything from math and physics to penmanship and gymnastics. Weierstrass didn’t begin his career as a professional mathematician until he was nearly 40. But he would go on to transform...
How Did Multicellular Life Evolve?
...bringing it up, not just to tell my own story, but because I get the feeling you’re some kind of math, physics, computer-ish kind of person. Is this true? RATCLIFF:...
What Is the True Promise of Quantum Computing?
...big part of computer science, called the Recommendation Problem. How did you get introduced to the Recommendation Problem? You’re a very young researcher. You’re interested in higher math, and you...
When ChatGPT Broke an Entire Field: An Oral History
...they are. This winter, Ian Agol, a mathematician at the University of California, Berkeley, posted a six-page paper that proved Gordon’s conjecture, giving mathematicians a new way to order knots...
How Paradoxical Questions and Simple Wonder Lead to Great Science
...organisms for their own, glorious sake. He then figures out the physics and math that govern the often extraordinary behaviors of these single-celled critters. Not many researchers pursue both applied...
Surprising Limits Discovered in Quest for Optimal Solutions
...to spend limited free time before bed. These scenarios and many others can be represented as a mathematical optimization problem. Making the best decisions is a matter of finding their...
Three Hundred Years Later, a Tool from Isaac Newton Gets an Update
A simple, widely used mathematical technique can finally be applied to boundlessly complex problems. Every day, researchers search for optimal solutions. They might want to figure out where to build...
Scientists Parse Ocean’s Dynamic Role in Climate Change
The Ocean’s Dynamic Role in Climate Change New data collected by mathematicians and oceanographers in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean could dramatically improve climate models. The research vessel...
Prime Gap Grows After Decades-Long Lull
...be. Paul Erdős, left, and Terence Tao discussing math in 1985. This past August, Tao and four other mathematicians proved an old Erdős conjecture, marking the first major advance in...