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mathematics

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topology

Mathematicians Eliminate Long-Standing Threat to Knot Conjecture

By Leila Sloman
February 2, 2023
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A new proof shows that a knot some thought would contradict the famed slice-ribbon conjecture doesn’t.

Fanciful illustration of galaxies with various geometric shapes at their centers.
mathematical physics

Mathematicians Find an Infinity of Possible Black Hole Shapes

By Steve Nadis
January 24, 2023
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In three-dimensional space, the surface of a black hole must be a sphere. But a new result shows that in higher dimensions, an infinite number of configurations are possible.

cartoon illustration of a female teacher surrounded by students throwing paper airplanes covered in equations against a bright orange background
Quantized Academy

The Basic Algebra Behind Secret Codes and Space Communication

By Patrick Honner
January 23, 2023
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Whether you’re passing secret notes in class or downloading images from a space probe, Reed-Solomon codes offer an ingenious way to embed information and correct for errors.

illustration of four six-sided green dice covered in different numbers, with orange arrows connecting some of the dice
combinatorics

Mathematicians Roll Dice and Get Rock-Paper-Scissors

By Erica Klarreich
January 19, 2023
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Mathematicians have uncovered a surprising wealth of rock-paper-scissors-like patterns in randomly chosen dice.

graph theory

Finally, a Fast Algorithm for Shortest Paths on Negative Graphs

By Ben Brubaker
January 18, 2023
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Researchers can now find the shortest route through a network nearly as fast as theoretically possible, even when some steps can cancel out others.

number theory

Probability and Number Theory Collide — in a Moment

By Leila Sloman
January 12, 2023
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Mathematicians are taking ideas developed to study random numbers and applying them to a broad range of categories.

Illustration of Russian dolls sitting inside a larger Russian doll.
combinatorics

Google Researcher, Long Out of Math, Cracks Problem About Sets

By Kevin Hartnett
January 3, 2023
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On nights and weekends, Justin Gilmer attacked an old question in pure math using the tools of information theory.

2022 in Review

The Year in Math

By Konstantin Kakaes
December 22, 2022
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Four Fields Medals were awarded for major breakthroughs in geometry, combinatorics, statistical physics and number theory, even as mathematicians continued to wrestle with how computers are changing the discipline.

2022 in Review

The Year in Computer Science

By Bill Andrews
December 21, 2022
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Computer scientists this year learned how to transmit perfect secrets, why transformers seem so good at everything, and how to improve on decades-old algorithms (with a little help from AI).


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