A year after he started his Ph.D. in mathematics at McGill University, Matt Bowen had a problem. “I took my qualifying exams and did absolutely horribly on them,” he said. Bowen was sure that his ...

An example of a linear sequence. A list of numbers or diagrams that are in a particular order is called a sequence close sequenceA sequence is a set of numbers that follow a certain rule. For example, ...

Remember the graph paper you used at school, the kind that’s covered with tiny squares? It’s the perfect illustration of what mathematicians call a “periodic tiling of space”, with shapes covering an ...

Many years ago, a friend showed me this bit of mathematical trivia that thrilled us both no end: And then there’s the one I believed, for a while, was my own totally innovative discovery (it wasn’t).

Frank A. Farris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond ...