All articles
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.
Dennis Sullivan wins the 2022 Abel Prize | Tangente
The Abel Prize, one of mathematics' most prestigious honors alongside the Fields Medal, has just been awarded to American mathematician Dennis Parnell Sullivan (born in 1941).
My first differential equation | Tangente
Do differential equations frighten you? Admittedly, there is good reason to be wary. Yet they become very approachable once a few constraints are imposed; linearity is one of them. And when the factors involved are constants, they are within everyone's reach—especially when the right-hand side is zero.
Mathematical puzzles take center stage | Tangente
Discover the new problem-writing competition and the new format of Tangente's "Problems" section.
Differential equations / Understanding the solution space without calculating the solutions
Combining tools, methods and techniques from geometry, algebra and analysis can yield particularly fruitful and spectacular results. Sometimes, for instance, we can learn about the solution space of a differential equation without having to calculate the solutions themselves!
2022 from every angle
Once again this year, the Tangente team has shown ingenuity in uncovering hidden properties of 2022…
Polls / Secrets of a "statistics machine"
Now that algorithms can analyze vast volumes of data, tools are being used to provide a comprehensive, concise overview of the information. The Hedwige aggregator, developed by the start-up Datapolitics, focuses on data from the world of politics.
A YouTube for maths | Tangente
Carmin.tv is the name of a brand-new, free online audiovisual platform devoted entirely to "mathematics and its interactions with other sciences".
Société mathématique de France turns 150 | Tangente
In 1871, France, fresh from defeat at the hands of Germany, recognized that it had fallen behind technologically. The government of the new French Republic decided to bring together and coordinate efforts to organize research. This led to the founding of the Société mathématique de France (SMF) in 1872, followed the next year by the Société française de physique.
A new president for the CIJM | Tangente
At the end of January, Brigitte Bourgasser Wenner succeeded Marie José Pestel as head of the International Committee for Mathematical Games (CIJM).
Dramatic twists! | Tangente
Mathematics and theatre—together? But to what end? What is at stake, what makes such a partnership work, and what does it require? The editors of Tangente put these questions to four enthusiasts who dared to take the plunge.
Maths enthusiasts take the stage | Tangente
Maths in the theatre—can that really be serious? Absolutely! From the maths teacher at the blackboard, embodying abstract mathematics before their students, to the actor on stage playing an imaginary character, it may be only a short step—one that many enthusiasts have taken. And in this field, imagination reigns supreme, so anything goes!
Workshop of potential tragicomedy | Tangente
The Workshop of Potential Tragicomedy (Outrapo) is to theater what Oulipo is to literature.
Beyond convexity | Tangente
The intuitive idea behind convexity seems entirely natural. Yet one cannot help wondering whether slightly altering the formal definition might lead to other interesting ideas… Here too, convexity is just as fruitful!
Convexity in finance | Tangente
Mathematics plays an important role in finance. In recent years, returns on capital have been drastically reduced for various economic and political reasons. In Europe today, negligible returns on capital are becoming the norm, yet inflation remains very real, at around 5%.
Convexity and inequalities
Convex functions arose in analysis as a means of proving inequalities
Useful functions in analysis
With a graph that "looks skyward," convex functions give us reason for optimism. More seriously, first introduced to prove elegant inequalities, they have shown their importance far beyond mathematics. But what, exactly, are the properties of convex functions?
Statistics and probability revisited
The basic statistical concepts of mean, standard deviation, median and median absolute deviation are widely used. We encounter them at school, in the media and in the workplace… All can be constructed from familiar distances, such as Euclidean or Manhattan distance.
Error-correcting codes: keeping errors at bay
When sending a message, it is important to ensure that it will still be understandable when it arrives, even if it has been altered along the way. That is precisely the role of error-correcting codes.
Norms on function spaces
The notion of distance can also be applied to functions
Surprising shapes in space
As in the plane, many balls associated with different norms can be defined in space. They include polyhedra, some regular and others more surprising. You can thus make a delightful festive collection of baubles to match your next Christmas tree!