Math

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

Researchers are racing to create codes so complex that even quantum computers can’t break them

A new mathematical proof helps show whether a sequence of numbers is “pseudorandom”

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

The bizarre life and legacy of Paul Erdős, the most prolific mathematician ever

The inspection paradox makes sense of social networks, long train wait times and why the call center is always busy 

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

The quest for the einstein tile—a shape never seen before in mathematics—turned up even more discoveries than mathematicians counted on

Researchers go to great lengths to prove a tiny bias in coin flipping

In 2013 a new user named Cleo took an online math forum by storm with unproved answers. Today she’s an urban legend. But who was she? A 2023 editor's pick. 

Here’s a look at the $1-million math problem at the heart of computation