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What is a square?

If a shape has equal sides with 90 degree angles between them then it's a square, right? Well, not quite...

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The happy ending problem

So easy to describe, yet so hard to prove.

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Maths in a minute: Tiling troubles

Why there are only three regular polygons you can tile a wall with.

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The art gallery problem

Sometimes a piece of maths can be so neat and elegant, it makes you want to shout "eureka!" even if you haven't produced it yourself. One of our favourite examples is the art gallery problem.

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Secrets from a bathroom floor

Tilings have adorned buildings from ancient Rome to the Islamic world, from Victorian England to colonial Mexico. But while it sometimes seems free from worldly limitations, tiling is a very precise art, where not much can be left to chance. We can push and turn and wiggle, but if the maths is not right, it isn't going to tile. Josefina Alvarez and Cesar L. Garcia investigate.

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Maths in a minute

Want facts and want them fast? Our Maths in a minute series explores key mathematical concepts in just a few words.

Climate change: How can maths help?

As COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, kicks off we look at how maths can help understand the climate crisis.
The travelling salesman

How do you create dramatic film out of mathematics? We find out with writer and director Timothy Lanzone.
Disease modelling for beginners

Mathematics plays a central role in understanding how infectious diseases spread. This collection of articles looks at some basic concepts in epidemiology to help you understand this fascinating and important field, and set you up for further study.
Maths in a minute: Conditional probability

Find out why the formula we use to work out conditional probabilities is true!
A disappearing number

We talk about a play that explores the fascinating mathematical collaboration between the mathematicians GH Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan.

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