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symmetry

Math Meets QFT

The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve

By Kevin Hartnett
June 10, 2021
Read Later

The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics.

Illustration of a particle
Hidden Structure

What Is a Particle?

By Natalie Wolchover
November 12, 2020
Read Later

It has been thought of as many things: a pointlike object, an excitation of a field, a speck of pure math that has cut into reality. But never has physicists’ conception of a particle changed more than it is changing now.

An illustration of an ant walking in a straight line around a dodecahedron.
Abstractions blog

Mathematicians Report New Discovery About the Dodecahedron

By Erica Klarreich
August 31, 2020
Read Later

Three mathematicians have resolved a fundamental question about straight paths on the 12-sided Platonic solid.

Illustration of floating metal cubes joining together, some of their faces yellow
geometry

Computer Search Settles 90-Year-Old Math Problem

By Kevin Hartnett
August 19, 2020
Read Later

By translating Keller’s conjecture into a computer-friendly search for a type of graph, researchers have finally resolved a problem about covering spaces with tiles.

Diagram showing a colorful visualization of the simple Lie group
Abstractions blog

The ‘Useless’ Perspective That Transformed Mathematics

By Kevin Hartnett
June 9, 2020
Read Later

Representation theory was initially dismissed. Today, it’s central to much of mathematics.

Black and white photo of John Conway against a black background
Abstractions blog

John Conway Solved Mathematical Problems With His Bare Hands

By Kevin Hartnett
April 20, 2020
Read Later

The legendary mathematician, who died on April 11, was curious, colorful and one of the greatest problem-solvers of his generation.

Abstractions blog

Neutrino Asymmetry Passes Critical Threshold

By Natalie Wolchover
April 15, 2020
Read Later

The first official evidence of a key imbalance between neutrinos and antineutrinos provides one of the best clues for why the universe contains something rather than nothing.

Multimedia

The Map of Mathematics

By Kevin Hartnett
February 13, 2020
Read Later

Explore our surprisingly simple, absurdly ambitious and necessarily incomplete guide to the boundless mathematical universe.

Illustration of a pair of lungs being scanned in three dimensions, with a status bar that reads “Scanning lung tissue: 60%.”
artificial intelligence

An Idea From Physics Helps AI See in Higher Dimensions

By John Pavlus
January 9, 2020
Read Later

The laws of physics stay the same no matter one’s perspective. Now this idea is allowing computers to detect features in curved and higher-dimensional space.


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