Mathematics

A Teenager Solved a Stubborn Prime Number ‘Look-Alike’ Riddle

Wired: When Daniel Larsen was in middle school, he started designing crossword puzzles. He had to layer the hobby on top of his other interests: chess, programming, piano, violin. He twice qualified for the Scripps National Spelling Bee near Washington,…

Google Researcher, Long Out of Math, Cracks Devilish Problem About Sets

Quanta Magazine: In mid-October, Justin Gilmer flew from California to New York to attend a friend’s wedding. While on the East Coast he visited his former adviser, Michael Saks, a…

A Mathematician Dancing Between Algebra and Geometry

Quanta Magazine: Like many people who would go on to become mathematicians, Wei Ho grew up competing in math contests. In eighth grade, she won the Mathcounts state competition in Wisconsin, and her team took third place at nationals. Unlike many…

Computer Proof ‘Blows Up’ Centuries-Old Fluid Equations

Quanta Magazine: For centuries, mathematicians have sought to understand and model the motion of fluids. The equations that describe how ripples crease the surface of a pond have also helped researchers to predict the weather, design better airplanes, and characterize how…