What's up in
Mathematics
Latest Articles
All Is Not Fair in Cake-Cutting and Math
When divvying something up, there's more than one way to define what's fair.
How to Cut Cake Fairly and Finally Eat It Too
Computer scientists have come up with a bounded algorithm that can fairly divide a cake among any number of people.
Meet the New Math, Unlike the Old Math
The latest effort to overhaul math and science education offers a fundamental rethinking of the basic structure of knowledge. But will it be given time to work?
Using Mathematics to Repair a Masterpiece
The author shows how new mathematical techniques can be used to revitalize a 650-year-old work of art.
Hacker-Proof Code Confirmed
Computer scientists can prove certain programs to be error-free with the same certainty that mathematicians prove theorems.
The Strange Second Life of String Theory
String theory has so far failed to live up to its promise as a way to unite gravity and quantum mechanics. At the same time, it has blossomed into one of the most useful sets of tools in science.
Solution: ‘A Drunkard’s Walk in Manhattan’
City blocks help illustrate why walking randomly tends to take you away from your starting point.
A Drunkard’s Walk in Manhattan
Why is it that when you walk randomly, the more you walk, the farther you get from your starting point?
Solution: ‘Puzzles Inspired by Ramanujan’
What can the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan teach us about number theory through mathematical structures involving infinity?