In the third century BCE, Apollonius of Perga asked how many circles one could draw that would touch three given circles at exactly one point each. It would take 1,800 years to prove the answer: eight ...

The premise of Marcus du Sautoy’s Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity is that mathematics and creativitiy spring from the same well — structure. Individual numbers exist without human help.

A new book by Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy challenges the notion that mathematics and art occupy separate worlds. In Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity, du Sautoy demonstrates how ...

When most people think of shapes, they imagine a triangle, a rectangle, or maybe even a fancier-sounding rhombus or trapezoid. But to mathematicians, shapes encompass a vast universe of surprising ...

In August, a team of mathematicians posted a paper claiming to solve a major problem in algebraic geometry — using entirely alien techniques. It instantly captivated the field, stoking excitement in ...

An exciting new study reveals the hidden genetic architecture of quantitative ability, showing how brain wiring and signaling shape math skills independently of general intelligence. Study: A genetic ...