Mathematics

Ada Lovelace’s wisdom about the first general-purpose computer can be found buried in the appendix of another paper

Mathematicians are working on ways to use their field to tackle major social issues, such as social inequality and the need for gender equity

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

The most common test of statistical significance originated from the Guinness brewery. Here’s how it works

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

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

Figuring out whether there are more stars in the universe than sand grains on Earth’s seashores requires math—and imagination

Researchers use powerful geometrical methods to try fixing unfair districts. That alone isn’t enough; we need to fight the values behind gerrymandering

If pi is a “normal” number, the constant would contain much more than Shakespeare, resolving why such a random-looking number lives at the heart of simple circles

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

Are you smarter than an 18th-century Prussian?

The origin of the decimal point, a powerful calculation tool, has been traced back to a mathematician who lived during the Italian Renaissance