The Latest Breaking News from Mathematics

The British PM may believe that compulsory maths is the key to education – but Asawa showed a different path, armed with little more than flour and water

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has proposed making the study of mathematics compulsory for all students in England up to the age of 18, to help young people “in a world where data is everywhere and statistics underpin every job”.

Forcing students to endure a subject that many find unenjoyable could end up putting some off A-levels altogether, says mathematician and author Kit Yates

Science and maths skills are widely celebrated as keys to economic and technological progress, but abstract mathematics may seem bafflingly far from industrial optimisation or medical imaging. Pure mathematics often yields unanticipated applications, but without a time machine to look into the future, how do mathematicians like me choose what…