MATH

David Nicholls via Flickr // CC BY-NC 2.0

Robert Recorde, Inventor of the Equals Sign

Why did this brilliant mind end his days in prison?

Secrets of the MIT Poker Course

Can a little calculus make a total novice into a gambling pro? Mental Floss did the homework and took a trip to Atlantic City to find out.

The Unbeatable Game: Dr. Nim

The only winning move is not to play (because the game is rigged).

Yet Another Reason Why the Moon Landing Wasn't Faked: Math

An Oxford University researcher has developed an equation to debunk some of the world's biggest conspiracy theories.

The Black Female Mathematicians Who Sent Astronauts to Space

It was an era in NASA's early development when, as mathematician Katherine G. Johnson put it, “the computer wore a skirt.”

Ancient Babylonians Used Geometry to Track the Planets

Calculations etched onto four stone tablets change the timeline of astronomy.

The Largest Prime Number Ever Discovered Has Over 22 Million Digits

The person who discovered it broke his previous record by over five million digits.

This Mathematician Created a Computer Program To Design Baffling Illusions

Over the last 34 years, Kokichi Sugihara has created over 100 illusions with the help of the computer program he developed.

How Do Americans Spend Their Time in an Average Day?

Using data from the 2004 American Time Use Survey, statistician Nathan Yau created a simulation of an average 24 hours in the lives of 1000 Americans.

How to Wrap a Present With Mathematical Precision

It's not hard to wrap a box if you don't care how much wrapping paper or tape you use, but what if you care about efficiency? What if your aim is to use only what you need?

Can You Solve This UK Intelligence Agency’s Puzzling Christmas Card?

Holiday greetings await anyone bold enough to try to crack the code. We think.

Researchers Have Developed a Mathematical Method For Identifying Certain Kinds of Humor

A group of researchers at the University of Alberta have developed what may be the first mathematical theory of humor, all thanks to a funny-sounding nonsense word: snunkoople.