Articles

A conversation with Stephen CookWe talk to pioneering mathematician Stephen Cook, who came up with the concept of NP-complete problems, about his work, computer science, and artificial intelligence.
What's your problem?There are problems that are easy to solve in theory, but impossible to solve in practice. Intrigued? Then join us on a journey through the world of complexity, all the way to the famous P versus NP conjecture.
The shape and fate of the UniverseHow will the Universe end? In a big crunch? Or a big freeze? It all depends on its shape...
Maths in a minute: VarianceIf you're bored with the average, then move on to the variance!
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Mathematician advises the Home OfficeStatistics professor John Aston has been appointed as the Home Office's new Chief Scientific Adviser.
tessellation
On the tilesOur colleague Becky Warren has been distracting us with her wonderful tiling puzzles...
Missing a complex opportunityHow Heron of Alexandria missed his chance to explore the unknown mathematical land of complex numbers.
What is the Mandelbrot set?This article gives a short but thorough introduction to that fabled beast of mathematics: the Mandelbrot set.
Maths goes to the moviesGot your popcorn? Picked a good seat? Are you sitting comfortably? Then let the credits roll...
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Energetic mathsProducing electricity securely, safely, reliably and cheaply has many challenges. Chris Budd explains that the answer to many of these issues is maths.
Quantum
Quantum device solves very hard problemQuantum particles that are both light and matter help solve infamous NP hard problems.
Smale's chaotic horseshoeWant to understand chaos? Then have a look at this famous brainchild of the mathematician Stephen Smale.