Every pure mathematician has experienced that awkward moment when asked, “So what’s your research good for?” There are standard responses: a proud “Nothing!”; an explanation that mathematical research ...

In science, the explanation with the fewest assumptions is most likely to be true. Called "Occam's Razor," this principle has guided theory and experiment for centuries. But how do you compare between ...

University of Utah mathematicians propose a theoretical framework to understand how waves and other disturbances move through materials in conditions that vary in both space and time. The theory, ...

Sam Baron receives funding from the Australian Research Council. Many people think that mathematics is a human invention. To this way of thinking, mathematics is like a language: it may describe real ...

The shapes of surfaces captured the imagination and attention of many mathematicians in the 19th century. To unfold the visual secrets compressed and hidden within the shorthand of algebraic ...

Many people think that mathematics is a human invention. To this way of thinking, mathematics is like a language: it may describe real things in the world, but it doesn’t “exist” outside the minds of ...

Mathematicians have begun charting the terrain of rich, new mathematical worlds, and sharing their discoveries on the Web. The mathematical universe is filled with both familiar and exotic items, many ...

In 1843, William Rowan Hamilton had a four-dimensional flash of insight that still shapes our three-dimensional world. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.