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Mathematics

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How to Find Simple Treasures in Complex Numbers

February 14, 2019

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

February 11, 2019

Recent progress on the “sum product” problem recalls a celebrated mathematical result that revealed the power of miniature number systems.

How a Strange Grid Reveals Hidden Connections Between Simple Numbers

February 6, 2019

A graduate student has helped illuminate a long-suspected connection between addition and multiplication.

Foundations Built for a General Theory of Neural Networks

January 31, 2019

Neural networks can be as unpredictable as they are powerful. Now mathematicians are beginning to reveal how a neural network’s form will influence its function.

The Trouble With Turbulence

January 28, 2019

Turbulence is everywhere, yet it is one of the most difficult concepts for physicists to understand.

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A Movement to Close the Gender Gap in Mathematics

January 22, 2019

The Brazilian mathematician Carolina Araujo, who calls herself “a bit of an anarchist,” is organizing meetings and building a support network to study and solve the problems women face in mathematics.

Unscrambling the Hidden Secrets of Superpermutations

January 16, 2019

A science fiction novelist and an internet commenter made breakthroughs on a longstanding problem about the number of ways you can arrange a set of items. What did they discover?

The Year in Math and Computer Science

December 21, 2018

Several mathematicians under the age of 30 left their marks all over the field, and amateur problem-solvers of all ages made significant contributions to long-dormant puzzles.

Milestone Experiment Proves Quantum Communication Really Is Faster

December 19, 2018

In a Paris lab, researchers have shown for the first time that quantum methods of transmitting information are superior to classical ones.

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