Curiosity
Patterns, crafts, magic squares and fun mathematical content not part of the school curriculum
Malevitch: Geometry at the heart of Suprematism
A hundred years ago, the artist Kasimir Severinovitch Malevitch (1878–1935) was appointed commissioner for the preservation of buildings and the arts
And the angle makes history…
The so-called inscribed angle theorem, still part of every middle-school student's mathematical toolkit today, was already known to ancient geometers. It can sometimes have unusual applications.
2018 Championship
The 32nd Mathematical and Logical Games Championship, organized by the Fédération française des jeux mathématiques, is under way. Tangente brings you an exclusive look at the eighteen problems from the individual quarterfinals.
Tangente turns 30
A grand celebration awaits you on Sunday, December 3, at the Musée des arts et métiers in Paris to mark Tangente's 30th anniversary, followed by an event in Brussels on December 8 and 9. No one is left out: there will be something for everyone, whatever their age or level.
Fractals in film: from geometry to special effects
Fractal geometry was central to the earliest computer-generated imagery on the big screen. The study of self-similar forms found in nature gave rise to the first computer-generated images… and thus spawned an entire entertainment industry!
Georges Méliès: special effects, anamorphosis and maths
Georges Méliès is often described as the creator of cinematic spectacle, while the Lumière brothers are the inventors of the cinematograph. In fact, Méliès was passionate about technology. He found solutions to problems that can readily be expressed in mathematical terms.
Three camera forerunners: from Marey to the Cinematograph
The pioneers of cinematography used objects that were sometimes unusual, which you can still admire at the Musée des arts et métiers (60 rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris).
Mathematics in fiction films
The world of mathematics is sometimes represented on screen, with varying degrees of success. Films offer a jumble of simple plot devices, biopics, realistic or imagined depictions of the mathematical world, and even the scientific fiction theorized by Denis Guedj.
Dissections: Greg Frederickson's trilogy | Tangente
Greg Frederickson's trilogy is regarded as THE definitive reference on geometric dissections.
Dissecting an obtuse triangle | Tangente
The problem of dissecting an obtuse triangle was proposed by Martin Gardner in Scientific American.
Rep-tiles | Tangente
The self-similarity requirement has led to many interesting results on tilings
Puzzles: useful resources | Tangente
The world of puzzlers 3 | Tangente
The small world of puzzle enthusiasts, collectors and puzzle makers is astonishingly diverse. It includes specialists in tilings and elegant dissections.
The art of Harry Lindgren | Tangente
A math enthusiast passionate about geometric dissections introduced powerful methods that remain classics today.
Proofs without words
Proofs without words are figures that visually illustrate algebraic relations, some of them fairly complex.
The world of "puzzlers" 2 | Tangente
Among the best-known mechanical puzzles are wooden knot puzzles, which the American Bill Cutler analyzed scientifically.
Squaring the square | Tangente
The search for perfect squared squares has inspired many attempts, some of them very elegant.
Pentominoes | Tangente
Let's rediscover pentominoes and the countless problems they generate
The world of "puzzlers" 1 | Tangente
Cuts, dissections and cunning assemblies give rise to extraordinary mechanical puzzles. A remarkable annual convention is devoted to them.
Poets talk to us about math… and vice versa
Mathematics and poetry are two ways of making sense of the world. Worlds apart? Not quite.