Math

For thousands of years, scholars pondered the question of how anything can move in our world. The problem seemed to have been solved—until the development of quantum mechanics

The busy beaver function is unpredictable. But now, after more than 40 years, the fifth value of the function has been revealed

Poker players can now employ AI to find the optimal playing strategy, but they often don’t use it. Here’s why

Number theorists have been trying to prove a conjecture about the distribution of prime numbers for more than 160 years

Better predictions of how cracks grow can make machines and structures more reliable

Try to solve a traveling salesman’s directional dilemma

Mathematicians picked the most dazzling, thought-provoking and compelling equations they know

Myths and legends surround the origins of these numbers

Fields Medalist Terence Tao explains how proof checkers and AI programs are dramatically changing mathematics

Experts have only started to crack the tricky twin prime conjecture

Ada Lovelace’s wisdom about the first general-purpose computer can be found buried in the appendix of another paper

Mathematicians are working on ways to use their field to tackle major social issues, such as social inequality and the need for gender equity