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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.
Laplace's brilliant insight into black holes | Tangente
The finite speed of light and its particle nature led Laplace, through a bold line of reasoning, to contemplate the existence of black holes—before changing his mind. Although he could not have conceived of light's dual nature at the time, he was right!
Laplace's role in Napoleon's deposition | Tangente
Laplace the scientist, but also Laplace the politician: on March 31, 1814, Paris surrendered as coalition forces reached its gates. Raised to the highest honors by the emperor, Laplace hesitated over signing Napoleon's deposition. Let's follow his inner struggle.
Laplace, unloved by historians: an ambiguous portrait | Tangente
Although Laplace's scientific work is recognized worldwide, his political role remains controversial and is sometimes disparaged. Historians often judge him harshly—when they do not ignore the scientist altogether. Does this reflect a French difficulty in finding a place for science in the shared cultural imagination?
A fresh perspective on differential equations
The method developed by Laplace and his successors replaces differentiation with multiplication, turning a given differential equation into a "simple" algebraic equation. Today, no one working with differential equations can do without this technique.
Editorial
"Laplace's name has resounded in every part of the world where science is held in honor." With these words, Joseph Fourier began his funeral oration for the great scientist in 1827. Nearly two centuries later, this remains true. His Wikipedia page is available in more than a hundred languages!
Numbers or not?
Irrational numbers had a troubled beginning. Introducing roots of integers that are not perfect powers raised many questions about the nature and essence of numbers. Is a radical incommensurable with unity and its subdivisions a number?
From rhomb to rhombus
For many people, the rhombus—originally called a "rhomb" (see In Brief, "The origin of the rhombus"; the associated adjective is still "rhombic")—is characterized by its acute angles pointing upward and downward. Yet, as Euclid already observed, this quadrilateral is defined by the equal lengths of its sides. Its ability to form tilings accounts for its use in architecture and decoration.
The origin of the rhombus – Maths brief | Tangente
Many mathematical terms have Greek or Latin roots. But the word "losange", the French for rhombus, is something of a puzzle: its origin is disputed.
On the road – Mathematical brief | Tangente
Both unusual—since it does not usually rest on its "base"—and harmonious, as it is a quadrilateral with four equal sides, the rhombus appeals to graphic artists, advertisers and other designers: it appears in puzzles, games, road signs, logos…
A magic rhombus – mathematics brief | Tangente
In August 2019, our reader Mustapha Rherrad created a magic rhombus using the integers from 1 to 32, arranged so that the sums along every "slanting row" and every "main diagonal" are equal.
Rhombi filling space – Article | Tangente
Are there polyhedra whose faces are all rhombi? Various mathematicians have studied this problem in solid geometry since the 17th century, each contributing to what is now a complete classification of the convex polyhedra.
La Maison des mathématiques de l’Ouest - Article | Tangente
Activities that bring artists and mathematicians together to share mathematics with the public are flourishing across Pays de la Loire and Brittany. A Maison des mathématiques de l’Ouest was established to bring them together.
Reading ancient and medieval mathematicians | Tangente
In 2018, the British publisher Routledge launched a series entitled "Scientific Writings from the Ancient and Medieval World" with a Babylonian astronomical handbook.
The hidden riches of the multiplication table
Think you know your multiplication tables? Think again! A surprising property emerges when a regular polygon is drawn on the multiplication table: the mean of the values at its vertices is the value at the polygon's center!
Dust in the corners
The beauty of fractal curves fascinates amateurs and seasoned mathematicians alike. The latter, however, know that these objects also give rise to subtle problems in measure theory. Here we illustrate an apparently paradoxical situation and a delicate theorem.
Marguerite's Theorem – Article | Tangente
Anna Novion's film Marguerite's Theorem had already won numerous prizes and awards before it even reached cinemas. Anna Novion, the director, and Ariane Mézard, the mathematician who advised her, agreed to answer Tangente's questions.
A well-deserved medal – Mathematics news | Tangente
The MATh.en.JEANS association has won the CNRS science outreach medal
Tête-à-tête chercheuse(s): maths brief | Tangente
Nathalie Ayi, a researcher and associate professor at Sorbonne Université, also created and hosts the podcast Tête-à-tête chercheuse(s).
Portrait of Luca Pacioli: A mathematical brief | Tangente
Until January 8, 2024, the Louvre Museum is hosting an exhibition that should interest all our readers: "Naples in Paris: The Louvre Hosts the Museo di Capodimonte."
Rhombus Notes – A Mathematical Brief | Tangente
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