History and Culture
History of mathematics and cultural connections
What neurologists think | Tangente
It seems widely accepted that our faculties diminish with age. What about our capacity to do mathematics? What can neuroscience specialists teach us about this?
The factorization of large integers:
The most widespread cryptography system relies on the use of very large integers, whose factorization remains beyond the reach of our computers. As early as the 17th century, Mersenne and Fermat were investigating the prime factorization of very large numbers; their work inspired modern factorization algorithms.
The second life of women mathematicians | Tangente
There is no shortage of examples of mathematical careers extended to a relatively advanced age, or begun late in life. The few women who, throughout history, managed to produce fine results despite every obstacle, often find themselves in one of these situations.
Mathematicians to the last breath! | Tangente
Mathematical creativity seems to wane with age. Few results of real importance have been proved after the age of 50. Yet some mathematicians defy this prejudice, pursuing fruitful scientific work right up to their last breath. So what is their secret?
Tangente's 35th anniversary | Tangente
Come celebrate a unique anniversary, the 35th anniversary of the only magazine of mathematical culture in the world sold at newsstands! There will be something for every taste, every age and every level. Here is a preview of what this eventful day has in store. The full program can be found at the end of this article.
Tangente Day 2023 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers | Tangente
Come celebrate the Trophées Tangente day, the world's only magazine of mathematical culture sold at newsstands! There will be something for every taste, every age and every level. Here is a preview of what this full day has in store.
A comic book introduction to Maryam | Tangente
Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani (1977–2017) became the first woman to win the Fields Medal in 2014.
A podcast devoted to Ada Lovelace | Tangente
Bababam's "True Story" podcasts tell remarkable true stories that are a pleasure to listen to and share.
Hervé Lehning (1948–2022) | Tangente
Tireless in his work, Hervé Lehning devoted his life to sharing the mathematics he loved so deeply and making it accessible without sacrificing quality, driven above all by a desire to pass on his passion. But he was much more besides.
Roger Apéry and the irrationality of zeta(3)
Greek on his father’s side, Roger Apéry (1916–1994) spent his childhood in Lille (Nord) before moving to Paris in 1926. Living conditions there became difficult following the 1929 crisis and his father’s loss of his engineering job. To escape this environment, he placed his faith in France’s state school system and academic success.
H.S.M. Coxeter: A geometer's long life | Tangente
H.S.M. Coxeter was born on February 9, 1907, in Kensington, Great Britain. Since both his parents were art lovers, music became his first passion.
Late arrivals: great minds who came to mathematics late | Tangente
Few mathematicians reach their first fundamental results late in life. Yet examples exist, even among the most celebrated scholars. The reasons behind this turn toward the queen of the sciences at a mature age are varied, as shown by the paths of Cardano, Napier and Weierstrass.
In the classroom in the 1960s
In the 1960s curriculum, geometric transformations were studied in some depth. These included, of course, translations (covered in the French seconde, equivalent to tenth grade) and the group they formed.
Mathematics and existence: philosophy of number | Tangente
Since mathematics aims at a knowledge stripped of any reference to sensible reality, nothing would seem more opposed than mathematics and existence. How, then, could mathematics express the singularity of what is? This question prompted a great deal of reflection between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.
The Demaines: a father-son duo passionate about folding | Tangente
Born in 1942, Martin Demaine initially studied glassblowing in Britain.
David Huffman, curved-fold origami pioneer | Tangente
Some artists' origami sculptures are often impressive, whether for their striking representational qualities, their painstaking detail, or their particularly pleasing geometry.
Folded paper and origami: many uses | Tangente
Paper is a material of choice for many artists. The art of folding takes several forms.
Alexandre Grothendieck's visionary method | Tangente
Alexandre Grothendieck (see our feature in Tangente 162, 2015) left an indelible mark on 20th-century mathematics.
Pioneers of mathematical abstraction | Tangente
Meet some of the pioneers of abstraction in mathematics.
Maurice Fréchet: to axiomatize or de-axiomatize | Tangente
The French mathematician Maurice Fréchet distinguished two types of researchers. Some work essentially in an abstract manner, while others are concerned with experimentally verifying the predictions that their mathematical approach leads them to.