The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. The simplest ideas in mathematics can also be the most perplexing. Take addition. It’s a straightforward operation: One of the first ...

The Markov numbers reveal the secrets of irrational numbers and the patterns of the Fibonacci sequence. But there’s one question about them that has resisted proof ...

Mathematics Magazine presents articles and notes on undergraduate mathematical topics in a lively expository style that appeals to students and faculty throughout the undergraduate years. The journal ...