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probability

Latest Articles

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.

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.

The Joy of Why

How Do Mathematicians Know Their Proofs Are Correct?

By Steven Strogatz
July 13, 2022
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What makes a proof stronger than a guess? What does evidence look like in the realm of mathematical abstraction? Hear the mathematician Melanie Matchett Wood explain how probability helps to guide number theorists toward certainty.

Three circles that have dots connected by lines, as in a graph.
graph theory

Elegant Six-Page Proof Reveals the Emergence of Random Structure

By Jordana Cepelewicz
April 25, 2022
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Two young mathematicians have astonished their colleagues with a full proof of the Kahn-Kalai conjecture — a sweeping statement about how structure emerges in random sets and graphs.

Illustration of a person remembering the orientation of an arrow, but also a range of other orientations it might have had.
neuroscience

Neural Noise Shows the Uncertainty of Our Memories

By Veronique Greenwood
January 18, 2022
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The electrical chatter of our working memories reflects our uncertainty about their contents.

Illustration showing a graph against a purple background, with certain vertices and edges highlighted in orange.
combinatorics

Mathematicians Answer Old Question About Odd Graphs

By Kevin Hartnett
May 19, 2021
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A pair of mathematicians solved a legendary question about the proportion of vertices in a graph with an odd number of connections.

Side-by-side illustrations of the same linear hypergraph. The edges of the hypergraph are colored in the illustration on the right, but not in the illustration on the left.
combinatorics

Mathematicians Settle Erdős Coloring Conjecture

By Kelsey Houston-Edwards
April 5, 2021
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Fifty years ago, Paul Erdős and two other mathematicians came up with a graph theory problem that they thought they might solve on the spot. A team of mathematicians has finally settled it.

Illustration of a blue tiger.
Abstractions blog

How Neutral Theory Altered Ideas About Biodiversity

By Christie Wilcox
December 8, 2020
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The simple insight that most changes are random had a profound effect on genetics, evolution and ecology.

Insights puzzle

How to Assess Risks During the Coronavirus Pandemic

By Pradeep Mutalik
September 25, 2020
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The medical research scientist and Quanta puzzle columnist Pradeep Mutalik explores how to make sense of COVID-19 data while managing your personal risk.


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