Math

New results challenge AI’s promise for solving how fluids swirl—and suggest a more human path forward

The second batch of “First Proof” problems is meant to evaluate AI’s usefulness for research-level math. The best model got six or seven of the 10 questions basically right

An idea from topology explains why you can never get rid of your cowlicks—and, oddly enough, it’s critical in nuclear fusion

An experiment with 2,520 participants backs Richard Feynman’s answer to every diner’s dilemma: Do I want to try something new?

Online prediction markets are taking bets on everything from climate change to quantum computing. But researchers question their accuracy

From slow elevators to perfectly split pizza, math quietly explains the quirks of everyday life

A group of researchers have proposed rules to prevent artificial intelligence from overpowering humans in math

By encoding mathematical statements into numbers, mathematician Kurt Gödel used ordinary arithmetic to check whether a statement can be proved

A statement can be true or false. But as Kurt Gödel demonstrated, there will always be mathematical assumptions that can neither be proven nor disproven

A battle between “slimes” and “zoglins” could be the best way to calculate pi—at least for fans of this megahit game

Our universe appears flat—but this observation still leaves plenty of options for its true shape. In fact, our cosmos could resemble a donut

A chatbot’s result for the 80-year-old “unit distance” conjecture is the first AI proof that would likely be published in math’s top journal if humans had done it alone