Quanta’s Most Popular Math Stories of 2021

Math and Science News from Quanta Magazine View this email in your browser FOUNDATIONS OF MATHEMATICS | ALL TOPICS   How Many Numbers Exist? Infinity Proof Moves Math Closer to an Answer. By NATALIE WOLCHOVER For 50 years, mathematicians have believed that the total number of real numbers is unknowable. A new proof suggests otherwise. Read the article MATH MEETS QFT   The Mystery at the Heart of Physics That Only Math Can Solve By KEVIN HARTNETT The accelerating effort to understand the mathematics of quantum field theory will have profound consequences for both math and physics. Read the article MATH MEETS QFT   Mathematicians Prove 2D Version of Quantum Gravity Really Works By CHARLIE WOOD In three towering papers, a team of mathematicians has worked out the details of Liouville quantum field theory, a two-dimensional model of quantum gravity. Read the article   COMBINATORICS   Mathematician Answers Chess Problem About Attacking Queens By LEILA SLOMAN The n-queens problem is about finding how many different ways queens can be placed on a chessboard so that none attack each other. A mathematician has now all but solved it. Read the blog LANGLANDS PROGRAM   New Shape Opens 'Wormhole' Between Numbers and Geometry.. By KEVIN HARTNETT Laurent Fargues and Peter Scholze have found a new, more powerful way of connecting number theory and geometry as part of the sweeping Langlands program. Read the article Follow Quanta Simons Foundation 160 5th Avenue, 7th Floor New York, NY 10010 Unsubscribe | About Quanta Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact Us   Copyright © 2021 Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent division of the Simons Foundation