Number theory

Terence Tao, who has been called the “Mozart of Mathematics,” wrote an essay in 2007 about the common ingredients in “good” mathematical research. In this episode, the Fields Medalist joins Steven Strogatz to revisit the topic.

Landmark results in Ramsey theory and a remarkably simple aperiodic tile capped a year of mathematical delight and discovery.

The Markov numbers reveal the secrets of irrational numbers and the patterns of the Fibonacci sequence. But there’s one question about them that has resisted proof for over a century.

How Fermat’s less famous "little theorem" got mathematicians young and old to play with prime-like Carmichael numbers.

Quadratic reciprocity lurks around many corners in mathematics. By proving it, number theorists reimagined their whole field.

New work attacks a long-standing barrier to understanding how prime numbers are distributed.

A new magnum opus posits the existence of a hidden mathematical link akin to the connection between electricity and magnetism.

Modular forms are one of the most beautiful and mysterious objects in mathematics. What are they?

On its surface, the Kakeya conjecture is a simple statement about rotating needles. But it underlies a wealth of mathematics.