Column

Math

Fermat’s Natural Spirals

Using points to trace out spirals produces intriguing secondary patterns.

Math

Primes, Palindromes, and Pyramids

Prime numbers that have the same sequence of digits whether read forward or backward can be built into pyramids.

Math

Knotted Strings and Inca Accounts

Researchers are starting to untangle mysterious Inca messages encoded in knotted strings.

Math

Strange Orbits

Orbiting bodies can follow weird trajectories, from figure-eight loops to complex, interlocked paths.

Math

Playing with Ruth-Aaron Pairs

Home-run records lead to intriguing prime-number patterns.

Math

Ticket to Cooperstown

Is it getting easier to get into baseball's Hall of Fame?

Math

Paper Bags and Tricky Folds

Folding a grocery bag flat takes a special kind of effort.

Math

Closing the Gap on Twin Primes

A long-sought proof that there are infinitely many pairs of primes that differ by only 2 may not be far away.

Math

Name Voyager

A striking form of data visualization enhances the search for a suitable name for a baby.

Math

Air Transport Central

The world's air transportation network resembles the Internet.

Math

Magic Squares of Squares

Squared integers can be put into magic patterns.

Math

Sudoku Math

A logic puzzle craze puts the spotlight on Latin squares.