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Behold Modular Forms, the ‘Fifth Fundamental Operation’ of Math
Modular forms are one of the most beautiful and mysterious objects in mathematics. What are they? “There are five fundamental operations in mathematics,” the German mathematician Martin Eichler supposedly said....
A Triplet Tree Forms One of the Most Beautiful Structures in Math
...graph theory. “It’s not just an equation, it’s a kind of method,” said Oleg Karpenkov, a mathematician at the University of Liverpool. “These numbers are central, deep inside mathematics …...
If the Universe Is a Hologram, This Long-Forgotten Math Could Decode It
...the Platonic ideal of a genius. Conversant in ancient Greek by age 6, the Hungarian made significant mathematical advances in his teens. Then, as an adult, he invented game theory...
The Math That Promises to Make the World Brighter
...(LEDs are already efficient, but they could be a lot more so). My latest story, “Mathematicians Tame Rogue Waves, Lighting Up Future of LEDs,” is about a mathematical discovery that...
New Earthquake Math Predicts How Destructive They’ll Be
The “pinball” model of a slipping fault line borrows from the mathematics of avalanches. When a fault slips, it unleashes a torrent of seismic waves, not all of them alike....
Math of the Penguins
Emperor penguins display rigorously geometric spacing and mathematical efficiency when they huddle together for warmth, which may reveal secrets to their overall health. Animals have evolved to protect against the...
How Math Has Changed the Shape of Gerrymandering
...“With modern technology, you can gerrymander pretty effectively without making your shapes very weird,” said Beth Malmskog, a mathematician at Colorado College. This makes it that much harder to figure...
Francis Su: Math Is for Everybody
Francis Su discusses how the community of mathematicians tends to exclude certain people. Mark Skovorodko for Quanta Magazine...
Francis Su: Math and the Good Life
Francis Su explains how mathematics can help a person to live well. Mark Skovorodko for Quanta Magazine...