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An enormous theorem: the classification of finite simple groups

Winner of the general public category. Enormous is the right word: this theorem's proof spans over 10,000 pages in 500 journal articles and no-one today understands all its details. So what does the theorem say? Richard Elwes has a short and sweet introduction.

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Damn lies

Runner up in the general public category. "Lies, damned lies, and statistics..." Ben Parker tells us how to tell good statistics from bad, and make sure your cat is well-fed.
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Editorial

The Plus New Writers Award 2006: the competition issue
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We must know, we will know

Runner up in the general public category. Great minds spark controversy. This is something you'd expect to hear about a great philosopher or artist, but not about a mathematician. Get ready to bin your stereotypes as Rebecca Morris describes some controversial ideas of the great mathematician David Hilbert.
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Editorial

  • The Fields Medals: Maths in the media
  • Plus new writers award: last chance to enter
  • Readers' corner: Why is nim easy and chess hard?
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Music and Euclid's algorithm

What does a mathematician from the 3rd century BC have to do with tuning musical instruments in 17th century Europe? Benjamin Wardhaugh tells us about one of the more unusual places you might find Euclid's algorithm being used.