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mathematics

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Olena Shmahalo/Quanta Magazine
Insights puzzle

A Random Place at the Table

By Pradeep Mutalik
May 11, 2016
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Can you find a shortcut for solving problems that seem to require a lengthy calculation?

Insights puzzle

Why Sleeping Beauty Is Lost in Time

By Pradeep Mutalik
March 31, 2016
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The famous Sleeping Beauty problem has divided probability theorists, decision theorists and philosophers for over 15 years. Puzzle columnist Pradeep Mutalik claims to have discovered the source of confusion.

geometry

Sphere Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions

By Erica Klarreich
March 30, 2016
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The Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska has solved the centuries-old sphere-packing problem in dimensions eight and 24.

Insights puzzle

Solution: A Hat Trick + 1 of Hat Puzzles

By Pradeep Mutalik
March 23, 2016
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For four game show variations of the hat puzzle, four clever ways to earn a better payoff than you might expect.

number theory

Mathematicians Discover Prime Conspiracy

By Erica Klarreich
March 13, 2016
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A previously unnoticed property of prime numbers seems to violate a long-standing assumption about how they behave.

Insights puzzle

A Hat Trick of Hat Puzzles

By Pradeep Mutalik
March 9, 2016
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In three new variations of a famous logic puzzle, what are the best strategies for guessing the color of the hat on your head?

Q&A

Michael Atiyah’s Imaginative State of Mind

By Siobhan Roberts
March 3, 2016
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At 86, Britain’s preeminent mathematical matchmaker is still tackling the big questions and dreaming of a union between the quantum and the gravitational forces.

Insights puzzle

Solution: ‘The Problem With Dancing Shapes’

By Pradeep Mutalik
February 24, 2016
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Assigning elements from a large collection to one of two categories can yield almost “magical” predictions about highly complicated problems without actually solving them.

Insights puzzle

The Problem With Dancing Shapes

By Pradeep Mutalik
February 9, 2016
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In a geometrically designed social club, how do dancing, triangles and hexagons mix?


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