Column

  1. Math

    Goldbach’s Prime Pairs

    Like the elements in chemistry, prime numbers serve as building blocks in the mathematics of whole numbers. Evenly divisible only by themselves and one, primes are a rich source of speculative ideas that mathematicians often find simple to state but difficult to prove. The Goldbach conjecture is a prime example of such a conundrum. In […]

    By Ivars Peterson
  2. Math

    Software’s Origin

    One of the main functions of the venerable and massive Oxford English Dictionary is to record the earliest known use of a word (or sense of a word) in English. The current edition of the dictionary dates the word software back to 1960, though researchers have discovered an 1850 occurrence of the term in a […]

    By Ivars Peterson
  3. Math

    Software’s Origin

    One of the main functions of the venerable and massive Oxford English Dictionary is to record the earliest known use of a word (or sense of a word) in English.