What is the $E_8$ lattice that appears in Viazovska's proof? What makes it special? How do you use it to pack spheres? Eight-dimensional spheres and the exceptional $E_8$ Ursula Whitcher Mathematical Reviews (AMS) In Helsinki this summer, Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska was awarded a Fields Medal "for the proof thatRead More →
I’m pretty sure the etiquette of puzzle creation insists that a “good” puzzle has a unique solution—but bear with me! I promise I’m breaking the rules of etiquette for a good reason! Applied Algebra A Variety Show Courtney Gibbons Hamilton College My interest in applied algebra was a long timeRead More →
What is a prime, and who decides? Some people view mathematics as a purely platonic realm of ideas independent of the humans who dream about those ideas. If that’s true, why can’t we agree on the definition of something as universal as a prime number? Courtney R. Gibbons Hamilton CollegeRead More →
Decomposition Mathematics too has profited from the idea that sometimes things of interest might have a structure which allowed them to be decomposed into simpler parts... Joe Malkevitch York College (CUNY) Introduction One way to get insights into something one is trying to understand better is to break the thingRead More →