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Dive into the fascinating world of mathematics with our captivating articles, written by passionate experts. Whether you are a curious amateur or a seasoned mathematician, our articles cover a wide range of topics, from fundamental concepts to the latest discoveries, including practical applications and philosophical reflections.

Hong Wang wins 2026 Fields Medal for 3D Kakeya proof
News

Hong Wang wins 2026 Fields Medal for 3D Kakeya proof

Mathematician Hong Wang becomes the third woman to receive the Fields Medal, for solving the century-old Kakeya needle problem in three dimensions together with Joshua Zahl.

L'équipe TangenteAug 24, 2026
42 out of 42: this 17-year-old high schooler aces a perfect score at the math Olympiad
News

42 out of 42: this 17-year-old high schooler aces a perfect score at the math Olympiad

Alex Chui, a 17-year-old British high schooler, achieved a perfect score at the 2026 International Mathematical Olympiad, picking up a record seven medals in seven appearances along the way.

L'équipe TangenteJul 31, 2026
Sak Tahn Waax: the first Maya mathematician to sign his calculations
Math History

Sak Tahn Waax: the first Maya mathematician to sign his calculations

Discovered at Xultún in Guatemala: the signature of the first formally identified Maya mathematician, Sak Tahn Waax, who calculated the cycles of Venus and Mars around 781 CE.

L'équipe TangenteJul 31, 2026
Do you think in words when solving an equation?
Curiosity

Do you think in words when solving an equation?

Neuroscience reveals that the brain processes mathematics through networks distinct from those of natural language, calling into question our understanding of mathematical cognition.

Marie AMALRICJul 29, 2026
Measuring infinity: how Borel and Lebesgue went beyond Newton
Maths and History

Measuring infinity: how Borel and Lebesgue went beyond Newton

Explore Lebesgue measure, Borel's normal numbers and the foundations of probability theory through the history of mathematics.

Gilles GodefroyJul 29, 2026
Normal numbers: The Library of Babel hides your password
Math Culture

Normal numbers: The Library of Babel hides your password

Explore the normal numbers defined by Borel in 1909, revealed through the literary analogy of Borges's Library of Babel. A meeting point of number theory, probability, and analysis.

Maria MannoneJul 29, 2026
How a specialist in probability becomes a pillar of the Republic of Professors
Math History

How a specialist in probability becomes a pillar of the Republic of Professors

A portrait of Émile Borel, the illustrious mathematician of the Belle Époque, who combined a brilliant scientific career with political engagement and a fight for justice.

Michel PINAULTJul 27, 2026
Marie Curie, Borel, Perrin: a scholarly circle on a Breton peninsula
Math History

Marie Curie, Borel, Perrin: a scholarly circle on a Breton peninsula

The Arcouest peninsula, near Paimpol, was a regular holiday retreat for many academics, including Émile Borel and Marie Curie.

Michel PINAULTJul 27, 2026
Émile Borel: probability at the cradle of quantum theory
History and Culture

Émile Borel: probability at the cradle of quantum theory

Émile Borel's notebook on Paul Langevin's course at the Collège de France: a unique testimony to the scientific ferment surrounding quanta.

Martha Cecilia Bustamante De La OssaJul 27, 2026
Mathematical code - Sagrada Família: Gaudí's secret finally revealed
Maths and art

Mathematical code - Sagrada Família: Gaudí's secret finally revealed

A Barcelona mathematician discovers that the Sagrada Família is built on a 7.5-metre module and the proportions of the divisors of 12. Here's how.

L'équipe TangenteJul 13, 2026
This papyrus buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD was read unopened
Math History

This papyrus buried by Vesuvius in 79 AD was read unopened

Researchers have succeeded in reading a papyrus scroll charred by Vesuvius in 79 AD, using tomography, phase contrast, and artificial intelligence.

L'équipe TangenteJul 9, 2026
Turing, Matilda, Flatland: the Tangente Prize winners for middle and high schools that bring students and maths closer together
News

Turing, Matilda, Flatland: the Tangente Prize winners for middle and high schools that bring students and maths closer together

The winners of the Tangente Prizes for middle and high schools are known. Nearly 3,000 students voted for their favorite mathematics books.

Fabien AOUSTINJul 3, 2026
SMF 2025 prizes: d'Alembert and Jacqueline-Ferrand
News

SMF 2025 prizes: d'Alembert and Jacqueline-Ferrand

The Société mathématique de France awards its 2025 prizes to the exhibition “Ça résonne” by MMI Lyon and to the company L'île logique, along with the ResCo scheme for collaborative teaching.

Martine BRILLEAUDJul 3, 2026
Tangente Prize 2026: Roger Mansuy honored for his Grand almanach mathématique
News

Tangente Prize 2026: Roger Mansuy honored for his Grand almanach mathématique

The 2026 Tangente Prize was awarded to Roger Mansuy for his Grand almanach mathématique, at the Salon culture et jeux mathématiques in Paris.

ANTOINE HOULOU-GARCIAJul 3, 2026
52 playing cards to learn astronomy and geometry
History and Culture

52 playing cards to learn astronomy and geometry

In the 17th century, Joseph Moxon and his son James published educational playing cards for learning astronomy, geometry and the art of carving.

Ilaria AmpolliniJul 3, 2026
Émile Borel: Why fund a thousand researchers to find one?
History and Culture

Émile Borel: Why fund a thousand researchers to find one?

A portrait of Émile Borel's commitment to funding scientific research, European cooperation, and the evolution of his political thought from radicalism to liberalism.

Michel PINAULTJul 2, 2026
Can you govern a country the way you solve an equation?
Math History

Can you govern a country the way you solve an equation?

A portrait of Émile Borel, an École normale supérieure alumnus and scholar who combined a scientific career with political activism, from Dreyfusism to the Resistance, through radicalism and international intellectual cooperation.

Michel PINAULTJul 1, 2026
Alexandre Grothendieck: the quest for mathematical language
Math Culture

Alexandre Grothendieck: the quest for mathematical language

A portrait of Grothendieck, a mathematical genius whose practice was intimately bound up with an aesthetics of language, from schemes to topoi.

Bernard RandéJul 1, 2026
Did Leibniz really invent the ancestor of the computer?
Maths and History

Did Leibniz really invent the ancestor of the computer?

The article dispels the myth of Leibniz as a forerunner of the computer by examining the historical reality of his universal-language project.

David RABOINJul 1, 2026
Esperanto and mathematics: a coherent universal language
History and Culture

Esperanto and mathematics: a coherent universal language

Esperanto, created by Zamenhof in 1887, shares mathematics’ ideal of perfect coherence. Discover why this constructed language fascinates logicians and mathematicians.

Martine BRILLEAUDJul 1, 2026