Stories by Manon Bischoff

During the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad, Google DeepMind debuted an AI program that can generate complex mathematical proofs

Controversy surrounds whether the Olympic pool in the Paris La Défense Arena is not deep enough and slows swimmers. Is this contention true?

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

The busy beaver function is unpredictable. But now, after more than 40 years, the fifth value of the function has been revealed

Number theorists have been trying to prove a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers for more than 160 years

Myths and legends surround the origins of these numbers

Experts have only started to crack the tricky twin prime conjecture

The shape of the cosmos could be much more complex than anyone had ever imagined

Despite their performance, current AI models have major weaknesses: they require enormous resources and are indecipherable. Help may be on the way

An infinite number of random events can produce just about anything if you have quintillions of years to wait

String theory could provide a theory of everything for our universe—but it entails 10⁵⁰⁰ (more than a centillion) possible solutions. AI models could help to find the right one

Can you assign a size to every object? The surprising answer is no

The Collatz conjecture has plagued mathematicians for decades—so much so that professors warn their students away from it

In the 1970s mathematicians found a simple way to create all numbers, from the infinitely small to infinitely large

A concept from theoretical physics helped confirm the strange connection between two completely different areas of mathematics

Mathematicians cannot determine whether multiplying pi by itself repeatedly might produce a whole number

Until now computers have failed to solve mathematical problems. But the AI program AlphaGeometry has succeeded in finding proofs for dozens of theorems from the International Mathematical Olympiad

Squaring numbers can have surprising consequences

One safe, five sons and betrayal: this principle shows how shared knowledge can protect secrets—without having to trust anyone

A generator equation can spit out many prime numbers, but it leaves important mathematical questions unanswered

The number 1 is among the happiest numbers, 4 is sad, and both are narcissistic

Despite efforts to make a planned city in the Saudi Arabian desert sustainable, its layout could create problems   

Don’t be annoyed if you fail at a certain level of the popular game Candy Crush Saga; computers also have their problems with it

Huge data sets and matrices help online companies predict what you will click next