Math968 articles archived since 1845

How Many Manatees Are There? There's an Algorithm for That

Biologists and computers scientists team up to create a census of animal populations

Loopy Particle Math  

Scientists are creating mathematical tools to identify novel particles and phenomena at the world's largest particle accelerator

A Network Theorist Seeks "Universal Laws" of Success

A scientist leverages big data to pin down precepts that extend beyond the self-help aisle

A Math Function Describes How Whole Societies Remember--and Forget

A Neruda masterpiece—and a bi-exponential curve—define the dynamics of the fast then slow fade of our greatest collective sorrows and joys

Data Reveals Most Influential Movies

By analyzing the network connections between 47,000 films on IMDb, researchers found the most influential films ever made. Christopher Intagliata reports. 

Unraveling the Mathematics of Smell

Scientists have created a “map” of odor molecules, which could ultimately be used to predict new scent combinations 

Proofs and Guarantees

We can prove things in math, but does that mean they’re true?

Geometry versus Gerrymandering

Mathematicians are developing statistical forensics to identify districts that disenfranchise voters

Do the Golden State Warriors Have Hot Hands?

Scoring streaks have long fascinated sports professionals and researchers, yet they are not close to consensus on the right way to think about the issue

The Unsolvable Problem

After a years-long intellectual journey, three mathematicians have discovered that a problem of central importance in physics is impossible to solve—and that means other big questions may be undecidable, too

Proof of the Impossible? A Mathematical Journey

Burning Man's Mathematical Underbelly

It’s mostly an art festival, but attendees are impressively fascinated with science and math

Katherine Johnson, Trailblazing NASA Mathematician, Celebrates 100 Trips around the Sun

The pioneering mathematician overcame barriers of racism and misogyny to help develop U.S. human spaceflight

Gallery: Beautiful Works of Art Are Generated by Austere Mathematical Rules

Images and sculptures inspired by mathematical principles show off the intense beauty of the discipline

Number-Theory Prodigy among Winners of Most Coveted Prize in Mathematics

The Fields Medals have been awarded to four researchers who work on number theory, geometry and network analysis

Open Letter to the Fields Medal Committee

Why you should give the award to me

People Ration Where They Roam

An analysis of the movement of some 40,000 people suggests most of us frequent only 25 places—and as we sub in new favorites, we drop old ones. Christopher Intagliata reports.

Why Tau Trumps Pi

A growing movement argues that killing pi would make mathematics simpler, easier and even more beautiful

Celebrate Tau Day with an Extra Slice of Pi

To understand tau, you need to understand pi. Watch how mathematicians from Archimedes on have wrapped their heads around the math of circles.

A Theory with No Strings Attached: Can Beautiful Physics Be Wrong? [Excerpt]

A physicist decries the trend of chasing after aesthetically pleasing theories that lack empirical evidence