As a high school student in the mid-1990s, Pace Nielsen encountered a mathematical question that he’s still struggling with to this day. But he doesn’t feel bad: The problem that captivated him, ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it. Perfection is an unattainable quest for which we all strive. But for a ...

For millennia, mathematicians have wondered whether odd perfect numbers exist, establishing an extraordinary list of restrictions for the hypothetical objects in the process. Insight on this question ...