Why Pigeons at Rest Are at the Center of Complexity Theory
When pigeons outnumber pigeonholes, some birds must double up. This obvious statement, and its inverse, have deep connections to many areas of math and computer science.
Scientists Are Mapping the Boundaries of What Is Knowable and Unknowable
Math and computer science researchers have long known that some questions are fundamentally unanswerable. Now physicists are exploring how physical systems put hard limits on what we can predict.
How a Cup of Tea Laid the Foundations for Modern Statistical Analysis
Scientific experiments run today are based on research practices that evolved out of a British tea-tasting experiment in the 1920s.
New Proofs Expand the Limits of What Cannot Be Known
By proving a broader version of Hilbert’s famous 10th problem, two groups of mathematicians have expanded the realm of mathematical unknowability.
The Saw-Toothed Function That Broke Calculus
In the late 19th century, Karl Weierstrass invented a fractal-like function that was decried as nothing less than a “deplorable evil.” In time, it would transform the foundations of mathematics.
Mathematicians Uncover a New Way to Count Prime Numbers
To make progress on one of number theory’s most elementary questions, two mathematicians turned to an unlikely source.
A Retiree Discovers an Elusive Math Proof—And Nobody Notices
A Blackjack Superstar Explains the Odds of the Historic Patriots Win
How Humans Can Force the Machines to Play Fair
Physicists Uncover Strange Numbers in Particle Collisions
