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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.
Solution: ‘How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers’
Puzzle solvers used “imaginary” numbers to solve a real world problem: finding long-lost treasure.
Karen Uhlenbeck, Uniter of Geometry and Analysis, Wins Abel Prize
A founder of modern geometric analysis who produced “some of the most dramatic advances in mathematics in the last 40 years,” Uhlenbeck is the first woman to be awarded this top honor.
Where Proof, Evidence and Imagination Intersect
In mathematics, where proofs are everything, evidence is important too. But evidence is only as good as the model, and modeling can be dangerous business. So how much evidence is enough?
Math Duo Maps the Infinite Terrain of Minimal Surfaces
A pair of mathematicians has built on an obscure, 30-year-old mathematical theory to show that soap-filmlike minimal surfaces appear abundantly in a wide range of shapes.
The Universe’s Ultimate Complexity Revealed by Simple Quantum Games
A two-player game can reveal whether the universe has an infinite amount of complexity.
Möbius Strips Defy a Link With Infinity
A new proof shows why an uncountably infinite number of Möbius strips will never fit into a three-dimensional space.
How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers
In spite of their name, “imaginary” numbers are as real as any other numbers, especially when it comes to hunting for lost treasure.
Smaller Is Better: Why Finite Number Systems Pack More Punch
Recent progress on the “sum product” problem recalls a celebrated mathematical result that revealed the power of miniature number systems.