Quantum Physics Has Reopened Zeno’s Paradoxes
For thousands of years, scholars pondered the question of how anything can move in our world. The problem seemed to have been solved—until the development of quantum mechanics
Quantum Physics Has Reopened Zeno’s Paradoxes
For thousands of years, scholars pondered the question of how anything can move in our world. The problem seemed to have been solved—until the development of quantum mechanics
Mathematicians Have Finally Found the Fifth ‘Busiest Beaver’
The busy beaver function is unpredictable. But now, after more than 40 years, the fifth value of the function has been revealed
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Professional Poker Players Know the Optimal Strategy but Don’t Always Use It
Poker players can now employ AI to find the optimal playing strategy, but they often don’t use it. Here’s why
The Biggest Problem in Mathematics Is Finally a Step Closer to Being Solved
Number theorists have been trying to prove a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers for more than 160 years
How the Math of Cracks Can Make Planes, Bridges and Dams Safer
Better predictions of how cracks grow can make machines and structures more reliable
Math Puzzle: How Many Routes Can You Find?
Try to solve a traveling salesman’s directional dilemma
These Are the Most Beautiful Equations, according to Mathematicians
Mathematicians picked the most dazzling, thought-provoking and compelling equations they know
How a Secret Society Discovered Irrational Numbers
Myths and legends surround the origins of these numbers
AI Will Become Mathematicians’ ‘Co-Pilot’
Fields Medalist Terence Tao explains how proof checkers and AI programs are dramatically changing mathematics
Prime Number Puzzle Has Stumped Mathematicians for More Than a Century
Experts have only started to crack the tricky twin prime conjecture
Ada Lovelace’s Endnotes Foretold the Future of Computation
Ada Lovelace’s wisdom about the first general-purpose computer can be found buried in the appendix of another paper
Math Can Help Solve Social Justice Problems
Mathematicians are working on ways to use their field to tackle major social issues, such as social inequality and the need for gender equity