30 years of Tangente
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Mechanisms and Mathematics
A mechanism is commonly perceived as a device for combining movement. Thus, physics, modeling, mathematics, movement and therefore technologies and mechanisms are intimately linked. They manifest themselves in a thousand clever and elegant ways, through gears, Archimedes' screw, clocks, engines, looms, punched cards and all the machines that human ingenuity has been able to design. Today, electronics has transformed the landscape by integrating other subtle movements: that of electrons and the transmission of information.
30 years of Tangente
Who would have bet, in 1987, when a few enthusiasts had the outlandish idea to create a professional magazine devoted to the place of mathematics in the world around us, that Tangente, the title they had given it, would still exist 30 years later and would become the universal reference in mathematical culture? To celebrate this anniversary, the Musée des arts et métiers, open free of charge on Sunday, December 3, allowed thousands of enthusiasts to attend numerous events: visits, animations, workshops, book signings, artistic exhibitions, conferences, shows, and the award ceremony for the Affaire de Logique competition.
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Spiral at the Great Salt Lake
In 1970, American land-art pioneer Robert Smithson used bulldozers to create an enormous spiral of volcanic rock northeast of the Great Salt Lake, in Utah, in the western United States
Publimath turns 20!
Publimath is a treasure trove of bibliographic resources for mathematics enthusiasts and educators alike.
The best illusion of 2017!
The 2017 edition of the Best Illusion of the Year Contest, an annual international optical-illusion competition, took place in early October.
An interactive journey through mathematical history
Reading Tangente already lets us travel through mathematical time and space—but have you ever thought of taking a virtual tour around the world and, at each stop, discovering the full history of mathematics rooted there?
Two magnificent reissues
Two recent—and entirely different—initiatives deserve attention.
Ulysse Lacoste: art, mathematics and performance
Mathematics, art, poetry, craftsmanship, kinematics, performance… Ulysse Lacoste's work embraces all this and more, blurring boundaries in pursuit of a distinctive alchemy that sets this singular artist's approach apart.
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.
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.