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Math After COVID-19
Modern mathematics relies on collaboration and travel. COVID-19 is making it increasingly difficult.
John Conway Solved Mathematical Problems With His Bare Hands
The legendary mathematician, who died on April 11, was curious, colorful and one of the greatest problem-solvers of his generation.
Mathematics as a Team Sport
When 50 mathematicians spend a week in the woods, there’s no telling what will happen. And that’s the point.
The Map of Mathematics
Explore our surprisingly simple, absurdly ambitious and necessarily incomplete guide to the boundless mathematical universe.
Color-Changing Material Unites the Math and Physics of Knots
Mathematicians have studied knots for centuries, but a new material is showing why some knots are better than others.
Mathematicians Cut Apart Shapes to Find Pieces of Equations
New work on the problem of “scissors congruence” explains when it’s possible to slice up one shape and reassemble it as another.
With Category Theory, Mathematics Escapes From Equality
Two monumental works have led many mathematicians to avoid the equal sign. The process has not always gone smoothly.
Möbius Strips Defy a Link With Infinity
A new proof shows why an uncountably infinite number of Möbius strips will never fit into a three-dimensional space.
Scientists Learn the Ropes on Tying Molecular Knots
As chemists tie the most complicated molecular knot yet, biophysicists create a “periodic table” that describes what kinds of knots are possible.