Malors Espinosa, a graduate student in mathematics at the University of Toronto, has devised a special type of math problem that challenges high school students to prove a nontrivial solution. The problem involves the Menger sponge, a fractal with a simple yet elegant construction. This problem is expected to inspire a new generation of mathematicians…
David Bessis, a mathematician, has published a book titled Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity, which challenges the conventional way of thinking about mathematics. He argues that math is not just about logic and problem-solving, but also about intuition and creativity. Bessis claims that people are constantly doing math, even if they don’t…
Mathematicians Noam Elkies and Zev Klagsbrun have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of mathematics, breaking an 18-year-old record with a new elliptic curve. The curve, which has the most complicated set of rational solutions ever seen, has a rank of at least 29. This discovery has significant implications for the study of elliptic…
In a groundbreaking episode of “The Joy of Why” podcast, mathematician and statistician Emmanuel Candès discusses the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on prediction science. Candès explains how AI models, often referred to as “black boxes,” can make successful predictions without fully understanding the underlying mechanisms. He also highlights the importance of quantifying uncertainty in…
Mathematicians have debunked the bunkbed conjecture, a well-known hypothesis in probability theory that seemed self-evident but has been proven false. The conjecture, which dealt with navigating mathematical mazes called graphs stacked like bunk beds, has significant implications for physics and our understanding of mathematics. The discovery highlights the importance of questioning assumptions and the need…
Mathematicians are still trying to catch up to the divine genius of Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician who made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics in the early 20th century. Ramanujan’s work on partition identities has been found to have deep connections to various areas of mathematics, and his legacy continues to inspire new discoveries. Recently, a…
Mathematician Hector Pasten has made a groundbreaking discovery in number theory, solving a problem that has puzzled mathematicians for over a century. By using a time-tested productivity hack, Pasten was able to embed information about prime factors in an elliptic curve, leading to a surprising strength in his result. This breakthrough has the potential to…
A recent article highlights the issue of missing data in scientific research, which can lead to biased results and undermine the validity of studies. Statisticians have developed techniques to deal with missing data, but the problem persists. The article explores the history of missing data and the efforts of statistician Donald Rubin to develop a…
Mathematicians have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of geometry, solving a decades-old problem by identifying new shapes with constant width. The breakthrough was inspired by a 1986 space shuttle disaster, where physicist Richard Feynman discovered that the failure of O-ring seals was due to cold temperatures. The new shapes, including the Reuleaux triangle…
Mathematicians have been studying groups, a fundamental concept in mathematics, for centuries. Groups are sets of objects with an operation that satisfies four rules: closure, associativity, identity, and inverse. This concept has far-reaching implications in various fields, from geometry and algebra to physics and cryptography. The study of groups has led to the discovery of…
