A set of the six sides of a die matches up one-to-one with a set of red shoes, helping illustrate Georg Cantor's set theorem. Image courtesy of GBH/NOVA It can be easy to take math for granted. But ...
Several years ago, I tried to explain infinity to a class of fifth graders. In the story that I told them, I was preparing to eat a piece of cake when a friend walked in on me. Being polite, I gave ...
Is there an infinity of infinities? The question sounds almost absurd, like a riddle designed to twist your brain into knots.
To determine the nature of infinity, mathematicians face a choice between two new logical axioms. What they decide could help shape the future of mathematical truth. In the course of exploring their ...
“Leaning Towards Infinity: How My Mother’s Apron Unfolds Into My Life,” by Sue Woolfe. Vintage Books. 393 pages. $24.95. If you tilt the number eight on its side, its voluptuous curves suggest a woman ...
For 50 years, mathematicians have believed that the total number of real numbers is unknowable. A new proof suggests otherwise. In October 2018, David Asperó was on holiday in Italy, gazing out a car ...