Explainers
The 4-Page Paper That Broke Mathematics
For thousands of years, mathematicians avoided the concept of infinity. Then, in 1874, Georg Cantor published a four-page paper that changed mathematics forever. Hidden inside was a shocking claim: some infinities are larger than others. Today, Cantor is celebrated as the father of set theory and one of the great mathematical revolutionaries. But newly uncovered letters reveal a far more complicated story — one involving collaboration, secrecy, and plagiarism.
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