Mathematical Themes
Explore the major mathematical themes: geometry, algebra, analysis, arithmetic, logic, and many other fascinating fields.
How Arabs wrote numbers in the Middle Ages | Tangente
Today, we use "Arabic numerals" to refer to what the Arabs themselves called "Indian numerals." Other numeral systems predated these numerals—the ancestors of our own—and even continued to coexist with them after their introduction.
Al-Khwarizmi's linguistic legacy: algebra and algorithm | Tangente
Al-Khwārizmī's works were translated into Latin and helped introduce the West to the Indian numeral system; more broadly, they contributed to the early development of algebra. Their legacy lives on in our vocabulary.
Far more than a link: The Arab legacy in Europe | Tangente
The Islamic world is often thought to have served merely as a repository for Greek manuscripts. In reality, many fundamental concepts in contemporary mathematics originated in works written from the ninth century onward in Arabic, then the language of scientific communication.
What is Arabic-Islamic mathematics? | Tangente
Arabic-Islamic mathematics developed against a fascinating historical and geopolitical backdrop, shaped in particular by the importance of the Abbasid dynasty, the role of the House of Wisdom, and diplomatic and intellectual ties with neighboring cultures.
Are numerals Arabic? Indian origin and spread | Tangente
What most people know of Arab-Islamic mathematics is, above all, the “Arabic numerals”… which are not Arabic at all!
Ahmed Djebbar, champion of the history of Arab science | Tangente
If the history of Arab science attracts interest today, it is largely thanks to Ahmed Djebbar, who not only made it his field of study but also did much to bring the subject to a wider audience.
Editorial
The history of mathematics is a fascinating field that allows us to rediscover the discipline as a whole, moving beyond hearsay and urban legends that reduce the complex development of human thought to grossly oversimplified accounts.
Bunk-bed conjecture in graph theory | Tangente
Bunk beds are not just furniture for children’s rooms, dormitories or barracks. They are mathematical objects too!
Conjectures finally settled! | Tangente
New developments in the famous "moving sofa problem" and advances in triangle dissection.
The flat torus saga: a documentary | Tangente
Have you heard of smooth fractals? The story began in the early 1950s, when John Nash astonished everyone by proving that a square could be gently warped into a torus without folding, creasing, stretching or contracting it in ways that alter lengths.
Cyril Bonin's universe: comics and mathematics | Tangente
Mathematics can hold a special place in an artist's thinking. Cyril Bonin explains how: he is the sole creator—writer, artist and colorist—of a distinctive body of graphic novels.
A century ago: equal access to the baccalauréat | Tangente
Exactly 100 years ago, girls' secondary schools were authorized to offer the same curriculum as boys' schools. Girls could now officially prepare for the baccalauréat there without having to take supplementary classes.
Maths-Vives: Mathematics takes on major challenges | Tangente
What role can mathematics play in tackling the societal challenges of today and tomorrow? The "Mathematics in Interaction" (Maths-Vives) research program aims to provide practical answers to this question.
Citizens, embrace mathematics! | Tangente
The CNRS Institute for Mathematical Sciences and their Interactions (Insmi) is launching a major nationwide consultation on mathematics.
Evaluating mathematics education policies | Tangente
The international TIMSS survey (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) has just released its results for 2023.
GIMPS and Mersenne primes | Tangente
If you would like to put your computer to work for research, your name might one day be associated with the discovery of a new Mersenne prime…
Mathematics unleashed: passion and research | Tangente
As an amateur, where can you find topics to explore? How can you learn about a subject and keep abreast of the state of the art? Where can you meet people to exchange ideas with—or even find opportunities to publish? Here are a few pointers for anyone eager to take the plunge.
A centenarian devoted to magic squares | Tangente
After a busy career in public works engineering, during which he held various positions in Alsace, René Descombes (born in 1924!) has pursued his interest in magic squares since retiring.
The joy of mathematical discovery: amateur mathematicians | Tangente
Christian Boyer, Vincent Thill, Jean Moreau de Saint-Martin and Philippe Fondanaiche—all passionate amateur mathematicians—agreed to answer our questions about how their interest in mathematics began and the activities they have developed in their favorite areas.
They found it
Here are a few amateur mathematicians whose names are associated with recent results.