Mathematics is full of weird number systems that most people have never heard of and would have trouble even conceptualizing. But rational numbers are familiar. They’re the counting numbers and the ...

For more than a century, scientists have wondered why physical structures like blood vessels, neurons, tree branches, and ...

Tessellations aren’t just eye-catching patterns—they can be used to crack complex mathematical problems. By repeatedly reflecting shapes to tile a surface, researchers uncovered a method that links ...

Breakthroughs in physics sometimes require an assist from the field of mathematics—and vice versa. In 1912, Albert Einstein, then a 33-year-old theoretical physicist at the Eidgenössische Technische ...

A classic math rule now handles infinity. New work strengthens the math behind physics and unbounded systems. % ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it. When it comes to describing the physical world, we can do it ...

This article is the first part of a series about quantum field theory published by Quanta Magazine. Other stories in the series can be found here. Over the past century, quantum field theory has ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. GrrlScientist writes about evolution, ecology, behavior and health. Those of you who have been following my writing for a few ...

These universal truths form the shared foundation upon which a great deal of rigorous and robust merit-based inquiry is ...

Natural appeal Edward Frenkel's new book looks at the beauty of mathematics such as symmetry. (Courtesy: iStockphoto/MarcelC) Mathematics has been around for thousands of years, and this has given it ...