Mathematics

The story of a macroscopic quantum system and a mathematical odyssey

Although mathematicians know they can never fully “solve” this centuries-old quandary, tackling smaller pieces of it has yielded some intriguing discoveries

Stemming from the “F-theory” branch of string theory, each solution replicates key features of the standard model of particle physics

So what are they, anyway?

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

Born 300 years ago this month, Agnesi was the first woman to write a mathematics textbook and to be appointed to a university chair in math

Everyone knows that history's great mathematicians were all men—but everybody is wrong

The mathematical odyssey, plus a guide to calculating pi for yourself

Books and recommendations from Scientific American

Pi has been used by mathematicians for centuries

Concerning various card tricks with a mathematical message

Paradoxes dealing with birthdays, playing cards, coins, crows and red-haired typists