Earlier this spring, tiling aficionados thought maybe they’d found the shape of their dreams. Now they’re certain.
Author: Siobhan Roberts
What Number Comes Next? The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences Knows.
The “mathematical equivalent to the FBI’s voluminous fingerprint files” turns 50 this year, with 362,765 entries (and counting).
Elusive ‘Einstein’ Solves a Longstanding Math Problem
And it all began with a hobbyist “messing about and experimenting with shapes.”
The Quest to Find Rectangles in a Square
A puzzle posted in an online community unlocked a wormhole within the basic shape.
A New Puzzle Turns Earth Into a Rubik’s Cube, but More Complex
Continental Drift is one of Henry Segerman’s latest efforts to make mathematics “real.”
They’re Taking Jigsaw Puzzles to Infinity and Beyond
In upstate New York, two algorithmic artists make wooden puzzles inspired by natural forms.
The Mysterious Dance of the Cricket Embryos
A team of biologists and mathematicians studied hours of video to learn how insects take shape in the egg. The secret is geometry.
How ‘Trustless’ Is Bitcoin, Really?
In myth, the cryptocurrency is egalitarian, decentralized and all but anonymous. The reality is very different, scientists have found.
Is This Some Kind of Code? You Can Solve the …
Erik and Martin Demaine, a father-and-son team of “algorithmic typographers,” have confected an entire suite of mathematically inspired typefaces.
The Latest Wrinkle in Crumple Theory
From studies of “geometric frustration,” scientists learn how paper folds under pressure.