
How a Futurama writer’s plot problem led to a totally new math proof
In an episode of the cartoon, a machine lets characters swap bodies, but they can’t switch back with the same person. Math helps all the characters return to their original bodies

How a Futurama writer’s plot problem led to a totally new math proof
In an episode of the cartoon, a machine lets characters swap bodies, but they can’t switch back with the same person. Math helps all the characters return to their original bodies

Mathematicians are closing in on the hidden order inside chaos
A new breakthrough pushes the limits of randomness, bringing a decades-old mathematical mystery closer to resolution


ChatGPT just proved another 50-year-old math conjecture
What’s the secret to prompting an AI to solve math problems that have left humans stumped? Tell it to believe in itself

We finally know the name of an ancient Maya mathematician
The signature of Sak Tahn Waax, or “White-Chested Fox,” was found inscribed in a 1,000-year-old chamber beneath present-day Guatemala

Mathematicians still don’t know the fastest way to multiply numbers
A 23-year-old student overturned an ancient conjecture about one of math’s simplest operations

How math helped the Allies win World War II
During World War II, statistics helped the Allies estimate the number of enemy tanks, which proved essential in the decisive move against Nazi Germany

The math behind the universe’s symmetry
Here’s how Emmy Noether’s theorem uses the Lagrangian to provide a formula for calculating the quantity of symmetries in a system—like the orbit of planets

How underappreciated mathematician Emmy Noether helped prove physics' most fundamental theories
Noether's work helped prove the conservation of energy in physics, a key foundation for Einstein's theory of relativity

Why some irrational numbers are more irrational than others
The quest to approximate irrational numbers with fractions reveals hidden patterns, surprising hierarchies and enduring mathematical mysteries

Our brains underestimate Elon Musk’s wealth
Why the human brain can't fathom what it means to be a trillionaire

Math predicts humans could go extinct in about 17,000 years
Some mathematicians have predicted when humanity’s downfall might occur—though the circumstances are unspecified

Math Puzzle: Go to great lengths
Find the lengths of the sides of the square in this math puzzle