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Solving quadratic equations in many variables
Fields are number systems in which every linear equation has a solution, such as the set of all rational numbers Q or the set of all real numbers R. All fields have the same properties in relation with systems of linear equations, but quadratic equations behave differently from field to field. Is there a field in which every quadratic equation in five variables has a solution, but some quadratic equation in four variables has no solution? The answer is in this snapshot.
News on quadratic polynomials
Many problems in mathematics have remained unsolved because of missing links between mathematical disciplines, such as algebra, geometry, analysis, or number theory. Here we introduce a recently discovered result concerning quadratic polynomials, which uses a bridge between algebra and analysis. We study the iterations of quadratic polynomials, obtained by computing the value of a polynomial for a given number and feeding the outcome into the exact same polynomial again. These iterations of polynomials have interesting applications, such as in fractal theory.
Prime tuples in function fields
How many prime numbers are there? How are they distributed among other numbers? These are questions that have intrigued mathematicians since ancient times. However, many questions in this area have remained unsolved, and seemingly unsolvable in the forseeable future. In this snapshot, we will discuss one such problem, the Twin Prime Conjecture, and a quantitative version of it known as the Hardy–Littlewood Conjecture. We will also see that these and other questions about prime numbers can be extended to questions about function fields, and discuss recent progress which has been made to answer them in this context.
From computer algorithms to quantum field theory: an introduction to operads
An operad is an abstract mathematical tool encoding operations on specific mathematical structures. It finds applications in many areas of mathematics and related fields. This snapshot explains the concept of an operad and of an algebra over an operad, with a view towards a conjecture formulated by the mathematician Pierre Deligne. Deligne’s (by now proven) conjecture also gives deep inights into mathematical physics.
Arrangements of lines
We discuss certain open problems in the context of arrangements of lines in the plane.
Ideas of Newton-Okounkov bodies
In this snapshot, we will consider the problem of finding the number of solutions to a given system of polynomial equations. This question leads to the theory of Newton polytopes and Newton-Okounkov bodies of which we will give a basic notion.
Zero-dimensional symmetry
This snapshot is about zero-dimensional symmetry. Thanks to recent discoveries we now understand such symmetry better than previously imagined possible. While still far from complete, a picture of zero-dimensional symmetry is beginning to emerge.
A few shades of interpolation
The topic of this snapshot is interpolation. In the ordinary sense, interpolation means to insert something of a different nature into something else. In mathematics, interpolation means constructing new data points from given data points. The new points usually lie in between the already-known points. The purpose of this snapshot is to introduce a particular type of interpolation, namely, polynomial interpolation. This will be explained starting from basic ideas that go back to the ancient Babylonians and Greeks, and will arrive at subjects of current research activity.
Swallowtail on the shore
Platonic solids, Felix Klein, H.S.M. Coxeter and a flap of a swallowtail: The five Platonic solids tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, icosahedron and dodecahedron have always attracted much curiosity from mathematicians, not only for their sheer beauty but also because of their many symmetry properties. In this snapshot we will start from these symmetries, move on to groups, singularities, and finally find the connection between a tetrahedron and a “swallowtail”. Our running example is the tetrahedron, but every construction can be carried out with any other of the Platonic solids.
Friezes and tilings
Friezes have occured as architectural ornaments for many centuries. In this snapshot, we consider the mathematical analogue of friezes as introduced in the 1970s by Conway and Coxeter. Recently, infinite versions of such friezes have appeared in current research. We are going to describe them and explain how they can be classified using some nice geometric pictures.