Computers make it possible for a mathematical proof to run as long as several thousand full-length novels combined. But human beings alone cannot verify such immense proofs. That, according to Ian ...

Number theorist Andrew Granville on what mathematics really is — and why objectivity is never quite within reach. In 2012, the mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki claimed he had solved the abc conjecture ...

In mathematics, how do you know when you have proven something? originally appeared on Quora: the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

The one source of truth is mathematics. Every statement is a pure logical deduction from foundational axioms, resulting in absolute certainty. Since Andrew Wiles proved Fermat’s Last Theorem, you’d be ...

In his article on mathematical proofs, Marcus du Sautoy raises the issue of the acceptability to mathematicians of computer-assisted proofs: “the possibility remains that a glitch is hiding ...