Famous figures
Portraits of famous mathematicians, historical and contemporary
An extraordinary scientist | Tangente
How did a pure mathematician trained at Cambridge come to win the Nobel Prize in Physics at the age of 89? This is the remarkable story of an extraordinary scientist who realized that his work in topology could help shed light on black holes.
Meet Fabien Durand, president of the SMF | Tangente
At the end of last June, the Société mathématique de France (SMF) elected mathematician Fabien Durand as its new president. He enthusiastically agreed to speak with the editorial team at Tangente.
Vaughan Jones, the knot magician
The mathematician Vaughan Jones, who died on September 6, 2020, profoundly influenced several areas of mathematics, including topology and functional analysis, as well as physics, particularly quantum theory. His name remains associated with powerful invariants in knot theory.
Three unsolved problems in geometry | Tangente
Geometry abounds in problems that remain unsolved. Some date back to the Renaissance! In tribute to Richard Kenneth Guy (1916–2020), here are three, gleaned from his book Unsolved Problems in Geometry (with Hallard Croft and Kenneth John Falconer, Springer, 1991).
2020 Tangente Awards winners | Tangente
Promoting the interdisciplinary role of mathematics, bringing it to the attention of young people—and the not so young—and fostering creativity: these core Tangente goals find expression in the Tangente Trophies, whose 2020 winners are presented here.
Lean: a new library of Alexandria | Tangente
Building a digital repository of mathematics—a new "Library of Alexandria for mathematics"—is the wildly ambitious collaborative undertaking on which many mathematicians have embarked.
Famous partnerships in research | Tangente
Compound theorem names offer a clue as to which pair of mathematicians worked on the subject... or perhaps not.
Penrose takes center stage to kick off 2021 | Tangente
To mark the award of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics to Sir Roger Penrose—a mathematician well known for his work in cosmology, differential geometry, tilings and science communication—Tangente is shaking up its schedule!
Toward open science | Tangente
Mathematical practice is undergoing profound change. Researchers are organizing, established ways of working are being questioned, and bringing knowledge to the general public has become a key concern. A new model—"open science"—is emerging.
The beginnings of collaborative research | Tangente
Until very recently, mathematicians worked and published alone. Now, thanks in part to the development of modern communication tools, it is not uncommon to find research papers co-authored by more than four people. At Tim Gowers's instigation, several websites have enabled collaborative research.
Blaise Pascal takes on induction
Although specialists still debate the origins of proof by induction, they often agree that Blaise Pascal's Traité du triangle arithmétique (Treatise on the Arithmetical Triangle) was the first work to set it out explicitly. A guided tour of a landmark in the history of proof.
A sequence of ideas: Ulam and Recamán | Tangente
Algorithms for constructing integer sequences from a given number are diverse. Many were devised in the 20th century by well-known mathematicians (Ulam, Kaprekar, Sloane...) and sometimes produce surprising results, some of which remain conjectures.
Magic every which way | Tangente
Magic squares have inspired wonder since antiquity. Mathematicians, artists and enthusiasts of every stripe have racked their brains to find forms of magic within a square beyond the "ordinary" classical arithmetic variety.
When an error bears fruit
Many mathematicians have made mistakes, whether through inadvertence, a miscalculation, a flaw in a proof, or a temporarily mistaken belief.
Marvelous logarithms
Logarithms emerged at the very beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the eccentric Scottish mathematician and theologian John Napier. By dramatically speeding up calculations, they paved the way for extraordinary scientific advances, particularly in astronomy.
Great names in operations research: Edmonds and Dantzig | Tangente
A few portraits of mathematicians whose work had a major impact on operational research
The history of the Paris meridian | Tangente
The best-known story in the history of measurement is surely the determination of our planet's circumference...
Units of measurement: the history of the SI | Tangente
Metrology is the science of measurement. Measuring means comparing a quantity with a standard. This requires a system of units. Several such systems have emerged over the course of history, evolving as scientific knowledge advanced.
D'Alembert Prize: an award-winning festival | Tangente
Awarded every two years by the Société mathématique de France (SMF), the d'Alembert Prize recognizes an initiative designed to make mathematics better known and understood by a broad audience.
Game theory: Von Neumann | Tangente
Toward the end of the Second World War, the celebrated mathematician John von Neumann and the economist Oskar Morgenstern broke new ground by providing a mathematical foundation for the strategic behavior of players and economic agents.