Erica Klarreich

Contributing Correspondent

Latest Articles

Simple Set Game Proof Stuns Mathematicians

May 31, 2016

A new series of papers has settled a long-standing question related to the popular game in which players seek patterned sets of three cards.

Sphere Packing Solved in Higher Dimensions

March 30, 2016

The Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska has solved the centuries-old sphere-packing problem in dimensions eight and 24.

Mathematicians Discover Prime Conspiracy

March 13, 2016

A previously unnoticed property of prime numbers seems to violate a long-standing assumption about how they behave.

Landmark Algorithm Breaks 30-Year Impasse

December 14, 2015

Computer scientists are abuzz over a fast new algorithm for solving one of the central problems in the field.

‘Outsiders’ Crack 50-Year-Old Math Problem

November 24, 2015

Three computer scientists have solved a problem central to a dozen far-flung mathematical fields.

A Magical Answer to an 80-Year-Old Puzzle

October 1, 2015

Using crowd-sourced and traditional mathematics research, Terence Tao has devised a solution to a long-standing problem posed by the legendary Paul Erdős.

Q&A

The Connoisseur of Number Sequences

August 6, 2015

For more than 50 years, the mathematician Neil Sloane has curated the authoritative collection of interesting and important integer sequences.

A Design Dilemma Solved, Minus Designs

June 9, 2015

A 150-year-old conundrum about how to group people has been solved, but many puzzles remain.

For Persi Diaconis’ Next Magic Trick …

April 14, 2015

A mathematician who has analyzed card shuffling for decades is tackling one final nemesis: “smooshing.”

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