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Mysterious number 6174

6174 is a very mysterious number. Yutaka Nishiyama explains why, and how beautiful mathematical oddities can inspire us to discover new mathematics.
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Graphical methods I: Slug wars

To arm or to disarm? This is the question in Phil Wilson's article, which explores the maths behind a cold war in slug world.
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  • What motivates mathematics?
  • Win glory and more as a Plus author!
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omega symbol

Omega and why maths has no TOEs

Kurt Gödel, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday next year, showed in 1931 that the power of maths to explain the world is limited: his famous incompleteness theorem proves mathematically that maths cannot prove everything. Gregory Chaitin explains why he thinks that Gödel's incompleteness theorem is only the tip of the iceberg, and why mathematics is far too complex ever to be described by a single theory.

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Editorial

Where is the next generation? — more bad news for maths education.