Curiosity
Patterns, crafts, magic squares and fun mathematical content not part of the school curriculum
From Brel to Navier–Stokes
Beyond the poetry and the images evoked in Jacques Brel's songs lies a surprising mathematical reality: the basic models used to describe the movement of waves and dunes are identical! Moreover, they are far from having revealed all their secrets.
Fascinating prime numbers
A look at the latest theorems about prime numbers, which continue to inspire just as much as ever.
The inexhaustible prime number theorem
Prime numbers are an endless source of mathematical surprises: they are infinite in number yet rare, and attempts to count them bring transcendental functions into play, such as the Riemann zeta function, which at first glance seem far removed from arithmetic.
A sculptor of polyhedra in Paris: art & geometry | Tangente
In the "Village Saint-Paul" in Paris is a shop called Cabinet de curiosités géométriques, where numerous polyhedra pile up. Our editorial team got in touch with its owner, Sylvain Calvier.
Euclid, master of division
With the Greek mathematicians—Euclid in particular—numbers moved from the concrete to the abstract. One key concept endured: Euclidean division and the host of developments it spawned. These methods have not aged a bit: Euclid's algorithm is still used today... by computer scientists!
Number theory in 2016: a wealth of news | Tangente
An unexpected bias in the distribution of prime numbers has just come to light. At the same time, Andrew Wiles receives the Abel Prize.
The scant remainder of Euclidean division
When we divide a by n using Euclidean division, we obtain a remainder. This remainder can take only a limited range of values: there are just n of them. This new perspective can simplify many calculations and cast a whole host of problems in a different light!
Mathematician and pianist: a winning composition | Tangente
The final of the 27th international competition for great amateur pianists, bringing together 92 candidates from 27 different countries, took place on April 10 at the grand amphitheater of Assas in Paris.
Without straightedge, without compass: Mascheroni | Tangente
Every straightedge-and-compass construction can be carried out with compass alone. This rather extraordinary result comes as a surprise.
Straight lines and optical illusions — geometry | Tangente
For a mathematician, a line is a point in motion. For an artist, however, it is what defines the outlines of things. Without lines, there could be no shapes…
Antoine Pevsner: homage to the straight line
In 1956, the sculptor Antoine Pevsner declared: "The most important feature of my work today […], the principle on which all my sculpture is now built, is the exclusive use of straight lines."
The semantics of droite | Tangente
A good droite is not necessarily mathematical: you find it in politics just as in boxing…
Sylvie Donmoyer, an artist fascinated by mathematics
An artist, not a mathematician, Sylvie Donmoyer is fascinated by geometric forms. In one engraving after another, inspired by Dürer and above all by Escher, she weaves connections between the two worlds of art and mathematics.
Bachet and Bézout: a winning mathematical duo
From Gauss's lemma to the Chinese remainder theorem, by way of numerous Diophantine equations, no problem seems able to resist the Bachet–Bézout theorem. Games, recreational puzzles, arithmetical tricks… Let's dive into mathematics!
A happy identity
The famous Bézout theorem—actually proved earlier by Bachet de Méziriac—may look simple, but it opens up many avenues in both arithmetic and algebra. This discovery makes it easier to solve a great many Diophantine equations, among other things...
Three brilliant mathematicians would have turned 100
1916 evokes the Battle of Verdun. That same year, Halmos, Shannon and Apéry were born. Though very different, they would share an unconventional personality and an original contribution.
Richard Dedekind: Numbers and concepts
Richard Dedekind died on February 12, 1916. This gives Tangente an opportunity to profile a German mathematician fascinated by numbers, whose legacy continues to shape mathematics today. The concepts he introduced lie at the heart of modern algebra.
Mega primes: A new GIMPS record | Tangente
A quest that may seem far-fetched or pointless to some, but is of the utmost importance for our secret codes, is that of "mega primes" — in other words, prime numbers with more than a million digits.
Historical math challenges: the Renaissance | Tangente
Throughout history, one of the driving forces behind mathematical research has been intellectual battles fought through challenges. Some of them have remained famous.
Yesterday's conjectures, today's progress | Tangente
Egyptian fractions, like Einstein's relativity, provide the subject matter for conjectures that have only just been proved. The strange abc conjecture, simple to state, has just been resolved... if the proof put forward by Mochizuki turns out to be correct.