Networked Mathematics — Topos Institute

Information overload affects mathematics too. A striking example comes from an episode reported by Quanta Magazine in November 2019. A group of physicists discovered a useful mathematical identity, and did not know if it was novel. To check, they emailed a number of mathematicians, including Fields Medallist Terence Tao. Despite believing the result was “so short and simple – it should have been in textbooks already”, Tao had not previously heard of it. This led to a paper submitted for publication and, soon after, the article in Quanta. In the weeks after the story emerged, more than three dozen previously published instances of the result were reported, dating back to 1934.

Information overload affects mathematics too. A striking example comes from an episode reported by Quanta Magazine in November 2019. A group of physicists discovered a useful mathematical identity, and did not know if it was novel. To check, they emailed a number of mathematicians, including Fields Medallist Terence Tao. Despite believing the result was “so short and simple – it should have been in textbooks already”, Tao had not previously heard of it. This led to a paper submitted for publication and, soon after, the article in Quanta. In the weeks after the story emerged, more than three do