Mathematical Themes
Explore the major mathematical themes: geometry, algebra, analysis, arithmetic, logic, and many other fascinating fields.
Sylvie Donmoyer, an artist fascinated by mathematics
An artist, not a mathematician, Sylvie Donmoyer is fascinated by geometric forms. In one engraving after another, inspired by Dürer and above all by Escher, she weaves connections between the two worlds of art and mathematics.
From Bézout's theorem for polynomials to the intersection of conics
Étienne Bézout is known for two theorems. One generalizes Bachet's theorem from integers to polynomials; the other concerns the intersection points of algebraic curves. The two are in fact related, but in a subtle way.
Bachet and Bézout: a winning mathematical duo
From Gauss's lemma to the Chinese remainder theorem, by way of numerous Diophantine equations, no problem seems able to resist the Bachet–Bézout theorem. Games, recreational puzzles, arithmetical tricks… Let's dive into mathematics!
A happy identity
The famous Bézout theorem—actually proved earlier by Bachet de Méziriac—may look simple, but it opens up many avenues in both arithmetic and algebra. This discovery makes it easier to solve a great many Diophantine equations, among other things...
The planets are not to blame: moon and birth | Tangente
Some arguments from astronomy can be set against the beliefs spread by astrology.
What is a pseudo-science? Astrology | Tangente
Despite terms borrowed from astronomy, the inconsistencies that emerge when the scientific method is applied to astrology strip it of all credibility. It is what is known as a pseudo-science.
Using probability to demystify astrology
Astrology has been fostered both by obscurantists, who believe in pseudoscientific laws that can be proven false, and by charlatans who exploit coincidences that are not really coincidences to drum up business. In both cases, probability can expose them.
The beginnings of astrology
Astrology as we know it today is actually quite recent. It owes more to the Greeks of the Hellenistic and Roman periods than to the remote reaches of antiquity. Let us trace the history of practices often intended to determine the right moment for political decisions.
Scientists tempted by astrology
Astrology appealed to scientists when the origin of gravitational forces was still unknown. Since the advent of the scientific method, championed by Galileo and Descartes, and Newton's discoveries, it has been no more than an obscurantist pursuit.
Roots according to Christophe's Savant Cosinus | Tangente
Or how Zéphyrin Brioché performs extractions painlessly...
April Fools' math: humor and science | Tangente
Let's take advantage of April Fools' jokes to revisit, with Stephen Leacock, a few mathematical classics in a lighthearted way…
Salon 2016: maths transform our society | Tangente
The unmissable Salon Culture et Jeux Mathématiques will run from Thursday 26 to Sunday 29 May on Place Saint-Sulpice. Save these dates for the (free) mathematics event of the year!
Pierre Boulez, mathematics and glory | Tangente
"Music is a hidden practice of arithmetic, the mind unaware that it is counting," said Leibniz. Pierre Boulez, who died on 5 January, conductor, composer and teacher of music and musical composition all at once, revealed to the whole world the hidden face of "his" music, in which mathematics runs through like a watermark.
Root extraction
Newton's method is a general method for finding the solution to an equation of the form f (x) = 0 by applying a simple algorithm.
Square roots
"The square root is my favorite," declared Boris Vian in Racine carrée (Square Root) in 1957. From antiquity to modern high-performance computing, many methods have been devised to calculate square roots in practice.
Three brilliant mathematicians would have turned 100
1916 evokes the Battle of Verdun. That same year, Halmos, Shannon and Apéry were born. Though very different, they would share an unconventional personality and an original contribution.
Richard Dedekind: Numbers and concepts
Richard Dedekind died on February 12, 1916. This gives Tangente an opportunity to profile a German mathematician fascinated by numbers, whose legacy continues to shape mathematics today. The concepts he introduced lie at the heart of modern algebra.
Mega primes: A new GIMPS record | Tangente
A quest that may seem far-fetched or pointless to some, but is of the utmost importance for our secret codes, is that of "mega primes" — in other words, prime numbers with more than a million digits.
Math teacher: a dangerous job for the government | Tangente
A middle school math teacher was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport while boarding a plane in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a compass, a slide rule and a calculator.
Babylonians calculated Jupiter's course | Tangente
Fourteen centuries before the Europeans, the Babylonians already knew enough geometry to calculate Jupiter's course!