Professor Ken Ono from the University of Virginia has made a discovery that could redefine the mathematical understanding of prime numbers. In his study titled “Partitions Detect Primes,” written in collaboration with mathematicians Will Craig —a former UVA graduate student— and Jan-Willem van Ittersum from the University of Cologne, he proposes a novel connection between […]
Mathematics
Posted inScience
The origin of our mathematical ability to think in numbers dates back to Homo Erectus and even earlier
A recent study published in the journal L’anthropologie provides new data on one of the most fascinating mysteries of human evolution: how we developed mathematical thinking, that is, the ability to think in numbers. The research explores how our ancestors, from the earliest hominins to Homo sapiens, built the biological and cultural foundations that allow […]
Posted inScience
Part of Math’s “Rosetta Stone” Solved: Hidden Connections Between Number Theory, Harmonic Analysis, and Geometry
Sam Raskin, a mathematician and professor at Yale University, has achieved a monumental accomplishment in mathematics by solving, alongside a team of experts, a crucial part of the Langlands Conjectures, a problem regarded as a true “Rosetta Stone” for mathematical study. This work, done in collaboration with Dennis Gaitsgory and seven other mathematicians, has resulted […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Science
A mathematical model explains how Romanization and the network of roads spread across North Africa
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from several German institutions, including the Zuse Institute Berlin and the Free University of Berlin, has developed a mathematical model that promises to revolutionize our understanding of how Roman influence spread in North Africa two millennia ago. The study offers a fresh and quantitative look at one of the most […]
Posted inAncient Egypt
Harpedonaptai, the Indispensable “Rope Stretchers” of Ancient Egypt
In the long and fascinating history of Ancient Egypt, there were figures without whom many monumental and artistic achievements would not have been possible. Moreover, without them, chaos would have taken over the Nile country year after year, making them essential for maintaining order. We are not talking about the pharaohs or the priests. We […]
Posted inArt
The Penrose Triangle, an Impossible Object that Defies Euclidean Geometry and Inspired Escher
In the vast world of geometry and art, there are figures that challenge our perception and understanding of space. One of these figures is the Penrose Triangle, also known as the Tribar. This object, considered an “impossible figure”, is formed by three bars that appear to connect at right angles, forming a triangle. However, this […]
Posted inScience
The Decimal Separator Found to Be 150 Years Older than Historians Thought
Fractional decimal notation uses a decimal point (in some places a comma is used) to separate the integer part from the fraction of a quantity. However, the origins of this notation are not entirely clear and have remained obscure for a long time. Recently, researchers have shed new light on this subject, allowing tracing the […]
Posted inScience
Graham’s number, so large that its ordinary representation would not fit in the observable universe
What is the largest number you can imagine? I’m sure more than one reader will paraphrase Han Solo, thinking they can imagine a lot. But whatever the number they say, it surely doesn’t even come close to what the so-called Graham’s number represents; so much so that it is impossible to write it in conventional […]
Posted inAncient Rome
When Cicero found Archimedes’ tomb in Syracuse.
Archimedes was probably the greatest mathematician of antiquity. He was born in the Sicilian city of Syracuse in 287 B.C., then an independent Greek colony. It is surprising how little we know about him and his life, as well as the oblivion into which he fell a few years after his death. It is known […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Mathematical Analysis of Mysterious Folkton Drums Suggests they May Be Measuring Units for the Construction of Stonehenge
The enigmatic Folkton Drums, found in the tomb of a Neolithic child, were discovered in 1889 near the town of Folkton in North Yorkshire: no similar artifacts have been found in any European site, and for now, their exact function remains unknown. These are three solid limestone cylinders shaped like drums, ranging from 12 to […]
