Articles

Physics in a minute: What's the problem with quantum gravity?

At the heart of modern physics lurks a terrible puzzle: the two main theories that describe the world we live in just won't fit together.

George Boole and the wonderful world of 0s and 1s

The story of George Boole is an extraordinary example of collaboration across the centuries.

Power networks

Why do so many networks exhibit a similar kind of structure? It's because the rich tend to get richer!

Maths in a minute: The power of powers

The powers of x can work magic.

Maths in a minute: Continued fractions

Continued fractions reveal the good, the bad and the beautiful side of numbers.

Quantum computing: Some (not so) gruesome details

A closer look at one of the simplest quantum algorithms.

What can quantum computers do?

What will quantum computers be able to do that ordinary computers can't do?

Do quantum computers exist?

What's stopping us from building useful quantum computers? And how long until we'll have them?

Quantum in context

An untapped resource could provide the magic needed for quantum computation — and perhaps even open the door to time travel.

How does quantum computing work?

Here's a brief introduction to the possible future of computing.

Quantum computers get real

Why it's hard to build quantum computers and what can be done about it.

Remarkable reversible numbers

Some neat number tricks using numbers read backwards.