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Scientists Discover Exotic New Patterns of Synchronization
In a world seemingly filled with chaos, physicists have discovered new forms of synchronization and are learning how to predict and control them.
Usain Bolt’s Split Times and the Power of Calculus
Just how fast can the fastest human run? This adapted book excerpt from Infinite Powers reveals how calculus helps us investigate the nature of motion and change.
Cryptography That Is Provably Secure
Researchers have just released hacker-proof cryptographic code — programs with the same level of invincibility as a mathematical proof.
In Quantum Games, There’s No Way to Play the Odds
These games combine quantum entanglement, infinity and impossible-to-calculate winning probabilities. But if researchers can crack them, they’ll reveal deep mathematical secrets.
Goals and Rewards Redraw the Brain’s Map of the World
Two new studies show that the brain’s navigation system changes how it represents physical space to reflect personal experience.
Proof Finds That All Change Is a Mix of Order and Randomness
All descriptions of change are a unique blend of chance and determinism, according to the sweeping mathematical proof of the “weak Pinsker conjecture.”
Sum-of-Three-Cubes Problem Solved for ‘Stubborn’ Number 33
A number theorist with programming prowess has found a solution to 33 = x³ + y³ + z³, a much-studied equation that went unsolved for 64 years.
How the Brain Links Gestures, Perception and Meaning
Neuroscience has found that gestures are not merely important as tools of expression but as guides of cognition and perception.
Solution: ‘How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers’
Puzzle solvers used “imaginary” numbers to solve a real world problem: finding long-lost treasure.