Human versus machine: who's better at proving theorems?

Alan Turing is the father of computer science and contributed significantly to the WW2 effort, but his life came to a tragic end. Stefan Kopieczek explores his story.

Lewis Dartnell turns the universe into a matrix to model traffic, forest fires and sprawling cities.

Debate surrounds $25000 prize won by undergraduate for solving universal Turing machine problem

Plus 1000 — Mathematical lives

Computer generated movies and electronic games: Joan Lasenby tells us about the mathematics and engineering behind them.

Plus went to see members of Norman Foster's group of architects to learn about the maths behind architecture.

If you've ever watched a flock of birds flying at dusk, or a school of fish reacting to a predator, you'll have been amazed by their perfectly choreographed moves. Yet, complex as this behaviour may seem, it's not all that hard to model it on a computer. Lewis Dartnell presents a hands-on guide for creating your own simulations — no previous experience necessary.

The Eternity puzzle is back with a $2 million prize

What do computers and light switches have in common? Yutaka Nishiyama illuminates the connection between light bulbs, logic and binary arithmetic.