In May 2026, OpenAI released a new math result that sent shock waves throughout the world of mathematical research. A major unsolved problem called the “unit distance conjecture” had just been resolved by generative AI. Since then, there has been a steady drumbeat of new results that either partially or completely leverage artificial intelligence to solve research-level mathematics problems. […] … learn more→
Tag Archives: mathematics
A new ‘golden age’ of mathematics may be dawning — thanks to AI and human ingenuity
‘Too pretty to do math’? Here’s the real reason girls aren’t choosing to study maths
The t-shirt is yellow, 100% cotton and meant for “everyday wear”. Across the front, it declares in italic script, “I’m too pretty to do math”. While some may see it as a joke, it is sparking widespread criticism from some of Australia’s science leaders. The shirt, created by Australian label Lioness, has raised questions about the deep-rooted messages girls […] … learn more→
In maths, do primary school assessments promote gender inequalities?
The Ministers of National Education follow one another, but the national assessments in mathematics and French carried out at the start of the year at different levels of schooling (CP, CE1, sixth, second, 1st year of CAP) continue . In 2023, they take place from September 11 to 22 and are even extended, for this start of the […] … learn more→
Rhyme and reason – why a university professor uses poetry to teach math
Title of course: The Ways Math and Poetry Can Open Your Eyes to the World What prompted the idea for the course? I have always enjoyed writing poetry. As a high school mathematics teacher, I recall telling my students that everything is and can be connected to math, even creative writing. Then, as a graduate […] … learn more→
ChatGPT will not put mathematicians out of work, but will create new opportunities
The British mathematician Alan Turing, one of the fathers of computing, asked himself in 1950 the question: can machines think? Right away he also wondered: can machines do what we (as thinking entities) can do? We now ask ourselves: is ChatGPT the answer to Turing? At the moment, many mathematicians have already detected that, in our discipline, the chatbot “fails more […] … learn more→
Has a mathematician solved the ‘invariant subspace problem’? And what does that even mean?
Two weeks ago, a modest-looking paper was uploaded to the arXiv preprint server with the unassuming title “On the invariant subspace problem in Hilbert spaces”. The paper is just 13 pages long and its list of references contains only a single entry. The paper purports to contain the final piece of a jigsaw puzzle that mathematicians have […] … learn more→
Why math problems suck (and how to avoid it)
What is the first word that comes to mind if we hear “mathematics”? It is very likely that terms such as numbers, operations, calculus or algebra will appear; but if a term is usually in the imaginary of the citizenry in relation to mathematics, that is the “problem”. This intimate connection between mathematics and problems finds its […] … learn more→
A universe without mathematics is beyond the scope of our imagination
Almost 400 years ago, in The Assayer, Galileo wrote: “Philosophy is written in this grand book, the universe … [But the book] is written in the language of mathematics.” He was much more than an astronomer, and this can almost be thought of as the first writing on the scientific method. We do not know who […] … learn more→
Studying maths post-GCSEs aids brain development – should it be compulsory?
Teenagers who stick to maths beyond the age of 16 have greater levels of certain brain chemicals that are critical for cognitive development, according to new research from the University of Oxford. The researchers, led by cognitive neuroscientist Roi Cohen Kadosh , found that students who dropped maths at 16 produced less gamma-aminobutyric acid than those who soldiered on. […] … learn more→
Back to the Future of Mathematics: If Hypatia raised her head
The mathematical Hypatia of Alexandria climbs into a DeLorian DMC-12 well loaded with plutonium. Enter the date of October 21, 2015. It accelerates to 88 miles per hour and… it appears 1,600 years later. If Marty McFly, the protagonist of Back to the Future II , finds notable differences in a journey of barely 30 years, Hypatia finds his journey shocking. […] … learn more→
