Math for everyone
Mathematical content accessible to everyone
Science podcasts worth listening to | Tangente
Canal Académies is a podcast platform created by the Institut de France in 2004.
Secrets from mathematical archives | Tangente
For its YouTube channel, the Académie des sciences produced a series entitled "Treasures from the archives." Each episode, lasting around five minutes, features a member of the Academy presenting a document from its archives.
Images des mathématiques gets a makeover | Tangente
You can hardly have missed the Images des mathématiques website since its launch in 2009! This online magazine quickly established itself as an essential resource for sharing and popularizing mathematics.
Women in science: where are they? | Tangente
On June 18, 2024, the French Academy of Sciences published a 32-page report highlighting the shortage of women in scientific professions in France.
Markov recommends Avenue Henri-Martin
The well-known board game Monopoly is a fine example of a stochastic process—a situation whose evolution is governed by the laws of probability. So, to find out whether you should buy Gare Saint-Lazare or Rue de Vaugirard, follow the guide…
A (good) Babylonian approximation
The Babylonians have always been renowned as brilliant mathematicians, and the clay tablets that have survived sometimes bear dazzling witness to their skill.
The origins of pifometry | Tangente
The ancients used units based on human abilities or physical characteristics: the length of a thumb or foot, the handspan, the cubit, the fathom...
Bézier curves in modeling | Tangente
Bézier curves are particularly common in computer-aided design and can be generated easily from a small number of points that completely determine them.
Approximating the paths of celestial bodies | Tangente
The word planet comes from a Greek word meaning "wandering star." This etymology suggests that the motion of the planets—which for the Greeks included the Moon and the Sun—is difficult to define and seems to defy all logic.
Approximation theory
When we do not know how to determine models or shapes directly, we approximate them using functions or curves that are easier to handle while preserving their main properties. This is the subject of approximation theory.
Geometry of Andean textiles | Tangente
In the Andes, weavers from periods sometimes lost in the distant past produced an immense variety of patterns that nevertheless bear a clear family resemblance. Mathematics can help us understand part of the visual language these textiles share.
Combinatorics on words and music | Tangente
Combinatorics on words is an area of mathematics that has proved particularly fruitful for studying certain musical phenomena, especially the rhythmic features of African and Malagasy music—so much so that a computer can even recreate them!
Marcia Ascher, pioneer | Tangente
Behind a wealth of research in ethnomathematics, mathematician Maria Ascher is regarded as one of the founders of this new discipline
Geometry in Celtic art | Tangente
Celtic art is constructed according to mathematical and geometric principles. Ethnomathematics helps us identify and analyze the geometry that underpins this symbolic art.
The turtle algorithm in Vanuatu | Tangente
Mathematical modelling offers one way to make sense of Vanuatu's sand drawings. In particular, it will lead us to a surprising "turtle theorem".
History of ethnomathematics | Tangente
Today, ethnomathematics is the study of cultural variations in mathematical practices and knowledge, particularly those developed outside scholarly and institutional settings. It offers fresh and original perspectives on mathematics and its teaching.
2024 Tangente high school students' prize | Tangente
The ninth Tangente High School Students' Prize ran throughout the 2023–2024 school year. It is a flagship initiative promoting mathematics among young people—an aim close to your magazine's heart.
Laurent Schwartz, politically engaged mathematician | Tangente
The publication of the graphic novel Laurent Schwartz, les engagements d'un médaillé Fields offers an opportunity to revisit the life and struggles of this surprising mathematician.
2024 SMF prizes | Tangente
Every two years, the Société mathématique de France (SMF) awards the d'Alembert and Jacqueline-Ferrand Prizes.
The egg equation | Tangente
Three researchers, Valery Narushin, Michael Romanov and Darren Griffin, recently published a paper proposing a general formula for drawing the outline of any real egg.