Math
For Math Fans: Some Puzzles from Game of Life Creator John Conway
The great British mathematician passed away from COVID-19 last year. To celebrate his memory, here is a small sampling of the recreational mathematics he loved so well
Math1524 articles archived since 1845
Math
The Art of Mathematics in Chalk
A photography project reveals the allure of equations in mathematicians’ blackboard work
Math
Math Can Help Build a Global Digital Community
During the pandemic, the National Museum of Mathematics found new ways to build human connections
Math
The Mathematics of How Connections Become Global
Percolation theory illuminates the behavior of many kinds of networks, from cell-phone connections to disease transmission
Math
Quantum Mechanics, Free Will and the Game of Life
Some thoughts triggered by the death of the mathematician John Conway
Math
The Timeless Journey of the Möbius Strip
After the disaster of 2020, let’s hope we’re not on a figurative one
Math
Is the Schrödinger Equation True?
Just because a mathematical formula works does not mean it reflects reality
Math
Doing the Touchy Math on Who Should Get a COVID Vaccine First
Mathematicians model pandemic scenarios by plugging thorny ethical and logistical issues into calculations
Public Health
Divide and Conquer Could Be Good COVID Strategy
COVID might be fought efficiently with fewer shutdowns by restricting activities only in a particular area with a population up to 200,000 when its case rate rises above a chosen threshold...
Math
Dissolving Candy Gives Mathematicians Insight into How Some Landscapes Form
Researchers observed a sugary treat underwater to understand the origin of spiky rock forests
Math
Can an Algorithm Help Solve Political Paralysis?
As faith in government hits historic lows, organizers in the U.K. are trying a new math-based approach to democracy. Would it work in the bitterly divided U.S?
Math
For Math Fans: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Number 42
Here is how a perfectly ordinary number captured the interest of sci-fi enthusiasts, geeks and mathematicians
Math
Algorithm Aids Search for Those Lost at Sea
A new process pinpoints ocean “attractors” to find missing travelers
Space
How Many Aliens Are in the Milky Way? Astronomers Turn to Statistics for Answers
The tenets of Thomas Bayes, an 18th-century statistician and minister, underpin the latest estimates of the prevalence of extraterrestrial life
Math
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle of Social Science Modeling
It’s known as the “curse of dimensionality,” and it’s why our estimates of how a disease will behave will always have imprecision
Math
Multistate Disagreement over the Length of the Foot to End
In 2023 every U.S. land surveyor will begin using a single international standard
Math
Small Numbers Can Have Huge Impacts on Climate and Health
A number can be tiny in relative terms but hugely important nonetheless
Math
Coronavirus Antibody Tests Have a Mathematical Pitfall
The accuracy of screening tests is highly dependent on the infection rate
Math
The Last Root of Unity
It’s time to say goodbye to the blog
Math
One Weird Trick to Make Calculus More Beautiful
The strange power of complex analysis
