An impossible equation, two tragic heroes and the mathematical study of symmetry.
It might not be as familiar as the circle or parabola, but it's definitely worth getting to know the hyperbola!
This week would have been the 100th birthday of Martin Gardner, who is deservedly credited with turning on several generations of people worldwide to the pleasures of maths! To mark the occasion here are some favourite puzzles that, apart from being fun, also lead to some serious maths.