problem

mathematics

Learn about this topic in these articles:

Euclidean geometry

  • Babylonian mathematical tablet
    In mathematics: The Elements

    …two kinds: “theorems” and “problems.” A theorem makes the claim that all terms of a certain description have a specified property; a problem seeks the construction of a term that is to have a specified property. In the Elements all the problems are constructible on the basis of three…

    Read More

theorem

  • In theorem

    …is commonly considered as a problem (a construction to be effected) or a theorem (a statement to be proved). The statement “If two lines intersect, each pair of vertical angles is equal,” for example, is a theorem. The so-called fundamental theorem of algebra asserts that every (complex) polynomial equation in…

    Read More

Turing machine

  • A laptop computer
    In computer: The Turing machine

    …to demonstrate that any mathematical problem can potentially be solved by an algorithm—that is, by a purely mechanical process. Turing interpreted this to mean a computing machine and set out to design one capable of resolving all mathematical problems, but in the process he proved in his seminal paper “On…

    Read More

work of Pappus of Alexandria

  • In Pappus of Alexandria

    Book 2 addresses a problem in recreational mathematics: given that each letter of the Greek alphabet also serves as a numeral (e.g., α = 1, β = 2, ι = 10), how can one calculate and name the number formed by multiplying together all the letters in a line…

    Read More

envelope, in mathematics, a curve that is tangential to each one of a family of curves in a plane or, in three dimensions, a surface that is tangent to each one of a family of surfaces. For example, two parallel lines are the envelope of the family of circles of the same radius having centres on a straight line. An example of the envelope of a family of surfaces in space is the circular cone x2 − y2 = z2 as the envelope of the family of paraboloids x2 + y2 = 4a(z −  a).

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.