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Today (Nov. 20) is Benoit Mandelbrot's birthday. Mandelbrot was a renowned mathematician who defined fractals, one of the most important patterns in nature.

Happy birthday to Benoit Mandelbrot, the discoverer of fractals

By Yasemin Saplakoglu published

He is known as the "father of fractals" for having discovered one of the most important patterns in nature.

Mathematics
Chalkboard with math equations.

An inmate's love of mathematics leads to discovery in number theory

By Marta Cerruti published

Christopher Havens came upon his love of math while in solitary confinement. A decade later, he published a paper on number theory in a top mathematics journal.

Mathematics
Irrational numbers are real numbers that, when expressed as a decimal, go on forever after the decimal and never repeat.

What Are Irrational Numbers?

By Adam Mann published

They're irrational but they're still logical.

Mathematics
The golden ratio is one of the most famous irrational numbers; it goes on forever and can’t be expressed accurately without infinite space.

Phi: The Golden Ratio

By Adam Mann published

A golden opportunity for misconceptions.

Mathematics
In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani, a professor at Stanford University, became the first woman to receive the prestigious Fields Medal for mathematics.

Maryam Mirzakhani Won Math's Most Prestigious Medal Before She Died. Now There's a Prize in Her Honor.

By Stephanie Pappas published

A new prize for young female mathematicians honors Maryam Mirzhakhani, an Iranian mathematician who died of breast cancer at age 40.

Mathematics
prime numbers

Mathematicians Solve 'Twin Prime Conjecture' — In an Alternate Universe

By Rafi Letzter published

Mathematicians have uncovered a big new piece of evidence for one of the most famous unproven ideas in mathematics, known as the twin prime conjecture.

Mathematics
An infinity symbol glows against a dark background.

Can You Count Past Infinity?

By Adam Mann published

How many different types of infinity are there, and can we count past any of them?

Mathematics
The golden ratio is one of the most famous irrational numbers; it goes on forever and can't be expressed accurately without infinite space.

Long-Standing Problem of 'Golden Ratio' and Other Irrational Numbers Solved with 'Magical Simplicity'

By Leila Sloman published

Mathematicians have finally proved a conjecture on approximating numbers with fractions

Mathematics
A candle

Mathematician Wins $3 Million Breakthrough Prize for 'Magic Wand Theorem'

By Rafi Letzter published

Their research answered many questions. Among them: What happens if you put a candle in a room full of perfect mirrors?

Mathematics
Hao Huang

This Mathematician's 'Mysterious' New Method Just Solved a 30-Year-Old Problem

By Rafi Letzter published

The proof took 30 years to be solved, but it's so simple and elegant that you can summarize it in a single tweet.

Mathematics
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