bibliolater , to histodon group
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

A Brief History of English Numeracy

The people of late medieval and early modern England were almost universally numerate. Is our ability to count the thing that makes us human?

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/brief-history-english-numeracy

@histodon @histodons

bibliolater , to science group
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

How the Square Root of 2 Became a Number

Useful mathematical concepts, like the number line, can linger for millennia before they are rigorously defined.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/how-the-square-root-of-2-became-a-number-20240621/

@science

bibliolater , to bookstodon group
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

Five of the best books about maths

Since the Egyptian scribe Ahmes put pen to papyrus some time around 1550BC to explain how to calculate the slope of a pyramid, we’ve had over three millennia of maths literature. So within some level of statistical confidence: here are a subset of the best ever maths books.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/20/five-of-the-best-books-about-maths

@bookstodon

bibliolater , to science group
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

Mathematicians Attempt to Glimpse Past the Big Bang

Researchers already knew that in a universe with so-called dark energy, but without matter, the start of inflation identified in the BGV theorem is a coordinate singularity that can be eliminated. But the real universe has matter, of course. Might mathematical tricks also make it possible to get around its singularity? The researchers showed that if the amount of matter is negligible compared to the amount of dark energy, then the singularity can be eliminated.

https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-attempt-to-glimpse-past-the-big-bang-20240531/

@science @physics

bibliolater , to science group
@bibliolater@qoto.org avatar

Mathematicians Attempt to Glimpse Past the Big Bang

Researchers already knew that in a universe with so-called dark energy, but without matter, the start of inflation identified in the BGV theorem is a coordinate singularity that can be eliminated. But the real universe has matter, of course. Might mathematical tricks also make it possible to get around its singularity? The researchers showed that if the amount of matter is negligible compared to the amount of dark energy, then the singularity can be eliminated.

@science @physics

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • kbinchat
  • All magazines