When my students grow too dependent on their calculators, I ask them to find a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives them 2. Students quickly see that since 1² = 1 and 2² = 4, the answer has ...

It’s surprisingly difficult to prove one of the most basic properties of a number: whether it can be written as a fraction. A broad new method can help settle this ancient question. In June 1978, the ...

Mathematics students often encounter confusion when distinguishing between rational and irrational numbers. However, mastering this fundamental concept becomes straightforward once you understand the ...

Mathematicians just made a big leap forward on one of the field’s all-time favorite problems. Curves—squiggly lines through space, such as a comet’s trajectory or a stock market trend—are some of math ...