Column

  1. Math

    Cosmic Numerology

    Like the ancient Pythagoreans, astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) found numbers fascinating. Imbued with the same conviction of a natural order that drove Pythagoras (c. 580–500 B.C.) and his followers to search for an underlying numerical harmony, Kepler maintained that the physical universe was laid out according to a mathematical design that was simple and accessible […]

    By Ivars Peterson
  2. Math

    Cosmic Numerology

    Like the ancient Pythagoreans, astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) found numbers fascinating. Imbued with the same conviction of a natural order that drove Pythagoras (c. 580–500 B.C.) and his followers to search for an underlying numerical harmony, Kepler maintained that the physical universe was laid out according to a mathematical design that was simple and accessible […]

    By Ivars Peterson
  3. Math

    Lava Lamp Randomness

    Sealed within a transparent, tapered, liquid-filled cylinder, illuminated colored globs slowly rise and fall.