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How String Theory Solved Math’s Monstrous Moonshine Problem
A concept from theoretical physics helped confirm the strange connection between two completely different areas of mathematics
How String Theory Solved Math’s Monstrous Moonshine Problem
A concept from theoretical physics helped confirm the strange connection between two completely different areas of mathematics
Tomorrow’s Quantum Computers Threaten Today’s Secrets. Here’s How to Protect Them
Researchers are racing to create codes so complex that even quantum computers can’t break them
These Numbers Look Random but Aren’t, Mathematicians Prove
A new mathematical proof helps show whether a sequence of numbers is “pseudorandom”
A Wild Claim about the Powers of Pi Creates a Transcendental Mystery
Mathematicians cannot determine whether multiplying pi by itself repeatedly might produce a whole number
This Nomadic Eccentric Was the Most Prolific Mathematician in History
The bizarre life and legacy of Paul Erdős, the most prolific mathematician ever
Math Explains Why Your Friends Are More Popular Than You
The inspection paradox makes sense of social networks, long train wait times and why the call center is always busy
AI Does Math as Well as Math Olympians
Until now computers have failed to solve mathematical problems. But the AI program AlphaGeometry has succeeded in finding proofs for dozens of theorems from the International Mathematical Olympiad
Simple Math Creates Infinite and Bizarre Automorphic Numbers
Squaring numbers can have surprising consequences
Inside Mathematicians’ Search for the Mysterious ‘Einstein Tile’
The quest for the einstein tile—a shape never seen before in mathematics—turned up even more discoveries than mathematicians counted on
Scientists Destroy Illusion That Coin Toss Flips Are 50–50
Researchers go to great lengths to prove a tiny bias in coin flipping
Podcasts of the Year: Cleo, the Mysterious Math Menace
In 2013 a new user named Cleo took an online math forum by storm with unproved answers. Today she’s an urban legend. But who was she? A 2023 editor's pick.
The Most Important Unsolved Problem in Computer Science
Here’s a look at the $1-million math problem at the heart of computation