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The Year in Math
Four Fields Medals were awarded for major breakthroughs in geometry, combinatorics, statistical physics and number theory, even as mathematicians continued to wrestle with how computers are changing the discipline.
‘Nasty’ Geometry Breaks Decades-Old Tiling Conjecture
Mathematicians predicted that if they imposed enough restrictions on how a shape might tile space, they could force a periodic pattern to emerge. But they were wrong.
From Systems in Motion, Infinite Patterns Appear
Mathematicians are finding inevitable structures in sufficiently large sets of integers.
The Math Behind Wordle Guesses
Wordle is a word game. But you can use math to optimize your chances of winning (without cheating).
Mathematical Trio Advances Centuries-Old Number Theory Problem
The work — the first-ever limit on how many whole numbers can be written as the sum of two cubed fractions — makes significant headway on “a recurring embarrassment for number theorists.”
AI Reveals New Possibilities in Matrix Multiplication
Inspired by the results of a game-playing neural network, mathematicians have been making unexpected advances on an age-old math problem.
A Mathematician Dancing Between Algebra and Geometry
Wei Ho, the first director of the Women and Mathematics program at the Institute for Advanced Study, combines algebra and geometry in her work on an ancient class of curves.
The Simple Geometry Behind Brownie Bake Offs and Equal Areas
Proving that two polygons have the same area can be as easy as cutting them up and rearranging the pieces.
Computer Proof ‘Blows Up’ Centuries-Old Fluid Equations
For more than 250 years, mathematicians have wondered if the Euler equations might sometimes fail to describe a fluid’s flow. A new computer-assisted proof marks a major breakthrough in that quest.