ELISABETH BUSSER

Telling the story of numbers

Describing quantities in terms other than "few" or "many," comparing them, manipulating them without touching or seeing them… All this depends on numbers. Numbers have preoccupied humankind since prehistoric times. So what is the story of the invention that changed the face of the world: numeral systems?

Knot theory according to Jean-Michel Othoniel

Jean-Michel Othoniel is an original sculptor in more ways than one. His exhibition "Géométries amoureuses" was held in Sète (Hérault) in 2017, and his current exhibition "Face à l'obscurité" has just closed at the MAMC in Saint-Etienne (Loire).

The Villani report on AI

Last March, mathematician and member of parliament Cédric Villani oversaw the drafting of a report on artificial intelligence (AI), a kind of "roadmap" charting the field's current state and future.

The mechanics of calculation

To calculate faster and more accurately, humans created devices as ingenious as they were varied! It can be hard to imagine that, only a few centuries ago, machines were expensive and cumbersome. Sophisticated calculations were therefore the preserve of an elite.

Reasoning means solving

Reasoning means organizing your thoughts. Yes, but how? Are there methods for keeping our thoughts from descending into anarchy and confusion? Mathematics is, by its very nature, the discipline that has enabled us to answer these questions over the centuries. And it works!

The different geometries of footballs

Every World Cup has its own ball. But while the ball's colors and technical features take center stage, let's not forget the mathematics hidden within!

Biodiversity in equations

Biodiversity is life. Quantifying it at a given point in time is useful, but predicting how it will change is better—and mathematical modeling allows us to do just that.

Archimedes' time

Once again, we turn to a "spiral"—not in a field or on a canvas, but… inside a watch.

Could nature be mathematical?

Another form of optical art is found in the famous crop circles, or "crop formations" (technically known as agroglyphs). These geometric patterns, most often created in cereal fields, range in size from a few square metres to several hectares. They are made by cutting, twisting or bending stalks of grain, usually at night and in record time.

Kinetic art returns

The last time Argentine sculptor and painter Julio Le Parc exhibited in New York was in 1973. The artist has just brought a successful exhibition in Paris to a close at the Perrotin gallery in the 3rd arrondissement. In the meantime, kinetic art had faded from view.

APMEP's promising new publication

At last, the new journal of the Association des professeurs de mathématiques de l'enseignement public (APMEP) has arrived!

The weight of maths, the shock of reality