What's up in

Computer-assisted proofs

Latest Articles

Busy Beaver Hunters Reach Numbers That Overwhelm Ordinary Math

August 22, 2025

The quest to find the longest-running simple computer program has identified a new champion. It’s physically impossible to write out the numbers involved using standard mathematical notation.

Mathematical Beauty, Truth and Proof in the Age of AI

April 30, 2025

Mathematicians have started to prepare for a profound shift in what it means to do math.

New Elliptic Curve Breaks 18-Year-Old Record

November 11, 2024

Two mathematicians have renewed a debate about the fundamental nature of some of math’s most important equations.

With Fifth Busy Beaver, Researchers Approach Computation’s Limits

July 2, 2024

After decades of uncertainty, a motley team of programmers has proved precisely how complicated simple computer programs can get.

‘A-Team’ of Math Proves a Critical Link Between Addition and Sets

December 6, 2023

A team of four prominent mathematicians, including two Fields medalists, proved a conjecture described as a “holy grail of additive combinatorics.”

The Deep Link Equating Math Proofs and Computer Programs

October 11, 2023

Mathematical logic and the code of computer programs are, in an exact way, mirror images of each other.

Q&A

Why Mathematical Proof Is a Social Compact

August 31, 2023

Number theorist Andrew Granville on what mathematics really is — and why objectivity is never quite within reach.

The Number 15 Describes the Secret Limit of an Infinite Grid

April 20, 2023

The “packing coloring” problem asks how many numbers are needed to fill an infinite grid so that identical numbers never get too close to one another. A new computer-assisted proof finds a surprisingly straightforward answer.

Get highlights of the most important news delivered to your email inbox