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March 2010
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Al-Khwarizmi

This issue of Plus is largely a matter of chance. We find an almighty coincidence and try to model it, explore whether statistical media headlines illuminate or mislead, and try to get our head around league tables. On a more certain note, we examine string theory, which many people think explains everything, look back at one of the greatest mathematical works ever written, and try to pin down the number five.

Tags: geometry : algebra : pythagoras' theorem : Zeno's paradoxes : golden ratio : Euclidean geometry : Euclid's Elements : hyperbolic geometry : irrational number : plus birthday : number system : Al-Khwarizmi