Mathematics

Mathematicians and computer scientists answered major questions in topology, set theory and even physics, even as computers continued to grow more capable.

A new paper shows how to create longer disordered strings than mathematicians had thought possible, proving that a well-known recent conjecture is “spectacularly wrong.”

More than 30 years ago, Andreas Floer changed geometry. Now, two mathematicians have finally figured out how to extend his revolutionary perspective.

The solution to our puzzle about Euler’s number explains why e pops up in situations that involve optimality.

By carefully constructing a multidimensional and well-connected graph, a team of researchers has finally created a long-sought locally testable code that can immediately betray whether it’s been corrupted.

The Chinese remainder theorem is an ancient and powerful extension of the simple math of least common multiples.

Ana Caraiani seeks to unify mathematics through her work on the ambitious Langlands program.

In nonreciprocal systems, where Newton’s third law falls apart, “exceptional points” are helping researchers understand phase transitions and possibly other phenomena.

New work establishes a tighter connection between the rank of a polynomial and the extent to which it favors particular outputs.