Mathematics

On Pi Day (March 14), NASA reminded us why we need only a small slice of the irrational number's infinite decimal places to explain most of the known universe.

Decimal points are at least 150 years older than historians thought, according to newly unearthed notes from Venetian merchant Giovanni Bianchini, who practiced astrology in the 1440s.

The length of a second depends on how you're measuring it.

Here's what the hairiest problem in math can teach us about wind, antennas and nuclear fusion.

The ability of a gene to keep functioning despite mutations shows a surprising link to fundamental math.

Researchers have calculated the "ninth Dedekind number," which belongs to an exponentially complex series of numbers that define outputs of logical functions based on different spatial dimensions.

Mathematician Per Enflo, who solved a huge chunk of the 'invariant subspaces problem' decades ago, may have just finished his work.

Researchers have discovered a new 14-sided shape called the Spectre that can be used to tile a surface without ever creating a repeating pattern, ending a decades' long mathematical hunt.

A new 13-sided shape is the first example of an elusive "einstein" — a single shape that can be tiled infinitely without repeating a pattern.

Two high school seniors have presented their proof of the Pythagorean theorem using trigonometry — which mathematicians thought to be impossible — at an American Mathematical Society meeting.