The basic facts about separable extensions of discrete fields and factoring polynomials are developed in the constructive spirit of Errett Bishop. The ability to factor polynomials is shown to be ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about the future of learning, work and human development. Okay, we cut a bad deal 20 years ago and it’s time to fix it.

In 2015, the poet-turned-mathematician June Huh helped solve a problem posed about 50 years earlier. The problem was about complex mathematical objects called “matroids” and combinations of points and ...

If \((x \pm h)\) is a factor of a polynomial, then the remainder will be zero. Conversely, if the remainder is zero, then \((x \pm h)\) is a factor. Often ...

Two mathematicians have used a new geometric approach in order to address a very old problem in algebra. In school, we often learn how to multiply out and factor polynomial equations like (x² – 1) or ...

Digital security depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. A new proof shows why one method for breaking digital encryption won’t work. My recent story for Quanta explained a newly proved ...