Mathematics

In math, sometimes the most common things are the hardest to find.

How much stock should we put in mathematical models of evolution that have not been validated by rigorous empirical data?

The 19th-century discovery of numbers called “quaternions” gave mathematicians a way to describe rotations in space, forever changing physics and math.

An upstart field that simplifies complex shapes is letting mathematicians understand how those shapes depend on the space in which you visualize them.

Quanta’s In Theory video series returns with an exploration of a mysterious mathematical pattern found throughout nature.

Studying the structure of existing friendships in your community can help you forge the best connections when forming a new circle of friends.

Evolutionary stories like the grandmother hypothesis are easy to construct from mathematical models, but how well do they reflect reality?

Akshay Venkatesh, a former prodigy who struggled with the genius stereotype, has won a Fields Medal for his “profound contributions to an exceptionally broad range of subjects in mathematics.”

The theoretical computer scientist Constantinos Daskalakis has won the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize for explicating core questions in game theory and machine learning.