Famous figures
Portraits of famous mathematicians, historical and contemporary
A nest of theorems
Heron's formula is strikingly simple. All the more remarkably, it provides a highly effective way to prove other, equally elegant results. It even leads to more fascinating problems in geometry!
A high-flying formula
Most of us learned how to use a compass to construct a triangle from the lengths of its three sides. Those three numbers are enough to determine a triangle. But how can we find its area from those data alone? That is precisely what Heron's formula does.
Maths as an accessory: briefs and curiosities
The latest trendy creations for mathematical fashion lovers
Buffon and chance in geometry
In a 1733 paper, the Comte de Buffon introduced what is now known as "Buffon's needle problem." This experiment illustrates a field of mathematics that is flourishing today: stochastic geometry, with its many applications ranging from telecommunications to medical imaging.
Rational behavior under risk: probability
Faced with a lottery offering two different prizes, people adopt different strategies. Why do some participants prefer a potential prize that is not the largest? Their choices depend on how each person conceives of probability—whether as a one-off event or one that will be repeated.
Points and lines: let the maths festivities begin!
On a sheet of paper, you doodle a few points, join them with lines... and you're off! Trial and error, attempts, mistakes, partial successes, a conjecture... It's all there. Mathematics—graph theory in particular—joins the party.
Intelligence agencies: the world's largest employers of mathematicians
In the popular imagination, intelligence agencies are staffed by muscle-bound spooks, not exactly refined intellectuals—and certainly not computer scientists sitting behind screens or fully trained mathematicians with degrees. In reality, precisely the opposite is true!
Linear equations and linear recurrences are one and the same!
One of a mathematician's skills is recognizing the same structures in different guises. A similarity in the calculations used in two ostensibly separate areas is often an early sign of this… Let's look at certain differential equations and sequences.
“The” dimension: not such an obvious idea!
The notion of dimension can be glimpsed in Euclid, then takes clearer shape with Descartes before branching out according to the subject at hand: analytic geometry, vector spaces or topology. There is a whole host of “dimensions”! Here, the focus is on the dimension of vector spaces, due to Georg Hamel.
Gaston Darboux: geometer and artist
Gaston Darboux, whom we commemorate this year, died a century ago. Throughout his life, he remained "a young man of the rarest learning and the highest promise," and he left behind a considerable body of work. His geometric results on orthogonal surfaces are spectacular.
2017 Tangente Awards: the winners
The Tangente Awards are becoming an increasingly well-known fixture in publishing and education. A look back at the 2017 awards, which were just presented on December 4 at the Palais du Luxembourg.
Jacques Besson and his theatre of mathematical instruments
In the mid-16th century, a French mathematician became fascinated with designing instruments born of his ingenious mind…
Sam Loyd: a puzzle-making mathematician in 15 minutes
Fifteen minutes to retrace the key moments in a mathematician's career: that was the challenge set—twice during the day—for the outstanding speakers in the conference room at Tangente's 30th-anniversary celebration (times in parentheses).
Tangente's 30th anniversary program | Tangente Magazine
Here is the programme (which will be updated regularly) for Tangente's 30th anniversary celebrations at the Musée des arts et métiers on Sunday, December 3, 2017. Admission is free for everyone!
The Ramanujan–Hardy duo on screen | Tangente Magazine
Areas and antiderivatives: a close connection
Areas and antiderivatives have been linked ever since the foundational work of Leibniz and Newton in the 17th century. This connection has simplified the calculation of the areas of many regions in the plane, but the relationship between area and the integral goes far deeper than this computational question.
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
Gérard Tronel: A life devoted to mathematics | Tangente
Mathematician Gérard Tronel, a great friend of the Tangente editorial team, had been battling cancer for years. He passed away on August 25.
Maryam Mirzakhani: a star has just gone out | Tangente
The brilliant Iranian mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani died of breast cancer on 15 July 2017, at the age of 40
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.