A surprising new proof is helping to connect the mathematics of infinity to the physical world.

On November 4 I published an article in the Ideas section about Shinichi Mochizuki, a mathematician who claims to have proved the ABC conjecture, one of the great unsolved problems in math. The only catch is that his proposed proof is written in mathematics…

Can advanced geometry solve a problem that has dogged the nation for centuries?

Can advanced geometry solve a problem that has dogged the nation for centuries?

Mathematicians are storytellers. At times it is obvious, as in the case of Charles Dodgson, the 19th century Christ Church maths fellow who is better known for his literary works — you know him by his alias, Lewis Carroll. But storytelling is a natural device…

At the University of Vermont, mathematicians in the Computational Story Lab are reading your tweets and learning a lot about our collective well-being.

Two mathematicians have proved that two different infinities are equal in size, settling a long-standing question. Their proof rests on a surprising link between the sizes of infinities and the…

Two mathematicians have proved that two different infinities are equal in size, settling a long-standing question. Their proof rests on a surprising link between the sizes of infinities and the…

Two mathematicians have proved that two different infinities are equal in size, settling a long-standing question. Their proof rests on a surprising link between the sizes of infinities and the…

“My brain is open!” These are the famous words that Paul Erdős spoke to the world’s foremost mathematicians as he surprised them at their…

So if “applied” means “useful,” doesn’t it follow that “pure” must mean… “useless”?

September 22, 2017

Most of us rely on the "carrying method" when we multiply. But there's a much faster way to handle large numbers.

After decades of effort, mathematicians now have a complete understanding of the complicated equations that model the motion of free boundaries, like the one between ice and water.