NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

Using computers to crack open centuries-old mathematical puzzles

  • Written by Christopher Rasmussen, Associate Professor of Mathematics, Wesleyan University
A snippet of 'Arithmetica,' from Diophantus.Wikimedia

In mathematics, no researcher works in true isolation. Even those who work alone use the theorems and methods of their colleagues and predecessors to develop new ideas.

But when a known technique is too difficult to use in practice, mathematicians may neglect important – and otherwise...

Read more: Using computers to crack open centuries-old mathematical puzzles

More Articles ...

  1. Genes and genealogy and making the most of famous relations
  2. As climate change erodes US coastlines, an invasive plant could become an ally
  3. The Trump administration's attempts to defund the Special Olympics, explained
  4. Pollen is getting worse, but you can make things better with these tips from an allergist
  5. What your pet's microchip has to do with the Mark of the Beast
  6. How Twitter and other social media can draw the US into foreign interventions
  7. New York gets serious about traffic with the first citywide US congestion pricing plan
  8. 3 times political conflict reshaped American mathematics
  9. Laws are chipping away at democracy around the world
  10. Kids exposed to flame retardant PBDE are at risk for lifelong liver or cardiovascular problems
  11. Did a censored female writer inspire Hemingway's famous style?
  12. So you want to tax the rich – here's which candidate's plan makes the most sense
  13. Brain scan evidence in criminal sentencing: A blessing and a curse
  14. Anti-vaxxers appear to be losing ground in the online vaccine debate
  15. 7 unexpected things that libraries offer besides books
  16. The unique vulnerabilities and needs of teen survivors of mass shootings
  17. Is it the end of 'statistical significance'? The battle to make science more uncertain
  18. As its ruling dynasty withers, Gabon – a US ally and guardian of French influence in Africa – ponders its future
  19. Atheism has been part of many Asian traditions for millennia
  20. Is doing your taxes making you crazy? Here's why it shouldn't
  21. Citizen science shows that climate change is rapidly reshaping Long Island Sound
  22. How state power regulators are making utilities account for the costs of climate change
  23. Rail travel is cleaner than driving or flying, but will Americans buy in?
  24. Microbes that live in fishes' slimy mucus coating could lead chemists to new antibiotic drugs
  25. Last of the giants: What killed off Madagascar's megafauna a thousand years ago?
  26. Data reveals the value of an assist in basketball
  27. What happens to rural and small-town Trump voters after Trump is gone?
  28. Medicaid work requirements: Is there a path forward that could help the poor, not harm them?
  29. Jessie Simmons: How a schoolteacher became an unsung hero of the civil rights movement
  30. For a flooded Midwest, climate forecasts offer little comfort
  31. Want to fix gerrymandering? Then the Supreme Court needs to listen to mathematicians
  32. What Oklahoma's opioid settlement means for other states, cities and counties suing Purdue Pharma
  33. Why pay transparency alone won't eliminate the persistent wage gap between men and women
  34. How single women are driving gentrification in Hong Kong and elsewhere
  35. Net price calculators were supposed to make it easier to understand the cost of college – instead, many are making it more difficult
  36. Do you have a moral duty to pay taxes?
  37. Nonprofits that scrimp on overhead aren't necessarily better than those spending more
  38. When Ebola and other epidemics strike, a dysfunctional 'outbreak culture' hinders adequate response
  39. What you need to know about the Mueller report: 4 essential reads
  40. When medical workers behave badly during disease outbreaks, everyone suffers
  41. Attacks against elections are inevitable – Estonia shows what can be done
  42. The surprising (and Long) story of the first use of ether in surgery
  43. Fending off new Sackler money is easier for museums and schools than returning old gifts
  44. An unexpected pathway to treating neurodegenerative diseases
  45. How the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings turned baseball into a national sensation
  46. Principle behind Google's April Fools' pigeon prank proves more than a joke
  47. Extreme weather news may not change climate change skeptics' minds
  48. You'll hear these 4 arguments in defense of the Electoral College – here's why they're wrong
  49. DOJ efforts to kill Obamacare, the cat with 9 lives, could cause health care havoc for millions
  50. Supreme Court to rule on use of religious symbols in war memorials