Column

  1. Math

    Binary Dice

    A set of specially marked, black-and-white dice suggests novel puzzles and games.

    By Ivars Peterson
  2. Math

    Numbers of No Escape

    Playful iterative processes can get you stuck in mathemagical black holes.

    By Ivars Peterson
  3. Math

    Tying Down a Random Walk

    Knotting a necktie poses mechanical and mathematical challenges.

    By Ivars Peterson
  4. Math

    A Mathemusical Potpourri

    Turning numbers and mathematical ideas into musical tones comes in many flavors.

    By Ivars Peterson
  5. Math

    Celestial Atomic Physics

    Insights from atomic physics lead to new routes for spacecraft.

    By Ivars Peterson
  6. Math

    Fermat’s Natural Spirals

    Using points to trace out spirals produces intriguing secondary patterns.

    By Ivars Peterson
  7. Math

    Primes, Palindromes, and Pyramids

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

    By Ivars Peterson
  8. Math

    Knotted Strings and Inca Accounts

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

    By Ivars Peterson
  9. Math

    Strange Orbits

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

    By Ivars Peterson
  10. Math

    Playing with Ruth-Aaron Pairs

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

    By Ivars Peterson
  11. Math

    Ticket to Cooperstown

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

    By Ivars Peterson
  12. Math

    Paper Bags and Tricky Folds

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

    By Ivars Peterson