The three-body problem is a centuries-old physics question that puzzled Isaac Newton. It describes the orbits of three bodies, like planets or stars, trapped in each other's gravity. The problem is ...

It might sound strange to think about physics (which often involves a lot of theory and hypotheticals) helping people solve mathematics problems. However, physics follows many math patterns very ...

Sitting in the front row of a "General Chemistry" class at McCosh last fall, tracking questions and taking notes as earnestly as any undergraduate, Ana Mostafavi was a reassuring fixture in one of the ...

Physics is the study of the underlying laws and mechanisms explaining how the universe works. Most of what we do in daily life is based on a principle or law of physics—dealing with forces, motion, ...

Katie has a PhD in maths, specializing in the intersection of dynamical systems and number theory. She reports on topics from maths and history to society and animals. Katie has a PhD in maths, ...

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. David Bessis was drawn to mathematics for the same reason that many people are driven away: He didn’t understand how it worked. Unlike ...