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dynamical systems
number theory
Mathematicians Set Numbers in Motion to Unlock Their Secrets
A new proof demonstrates the power of arithmetic dynamics, an emerging discipline that combines insights from number theory and dynamical systems.
Q&A
Searching Symbols for the Rules of Change
Bryna Kra searches for the patterns in sequences of numbers that explain how complicated dynamical systems evolve over time.
Multimedia
The Map of Mathematics
Explore our surprisingly simple, absurdly ambitious and necessarily incomplete guide to the boundless mathematical universe.
mathematical biology
A Mathematical Model Unlocks the Secrets of Vision
Mathematicians and neuroscientists have created the first anatomically accurate model that explains how vision is possible.
Q&A
A Mathematician Whose Only Constant Is Change
Amie Wilkinson searches for exotic examples of the mathematical structures that describe change.
chaos theory
The Hidden Heroines of Chaos
Two women programmers played a pivotal role in the birth of chaos theory. Their previously untold story illustrates the changing status of computation in science.
neuroscience
Brains Speed Up Perception by Guessing What’s Next
Your expectations shape and quicken your perceptions. A new model that explains how that happens also suggests it’s time to update theories about sensory perception and decision making.
dynamical systems
Proof Finds That All Change Is a Mix of Order and Randomness
All descriptions of change are a unique blend of chance and determinism, according to the sweeping mathematical proof of the “weak Pinsker conjecture.”
2018 Fields Medal and Nevanlinna Prize
A Number Theorist Who Bridges Math and Time
Akshay Venkatesh, a former prodigy who struggled with the genius stereotype, has won a Fields Medal for his “profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics.”