Most of us have little trouble working out how many millilitres are in 2.4 litres of water (it’s 2,400). But the same can’t be said when we’re asked how many minutes are in 2.4 hours (it’s 144).

In the early 1970s mathematician Donald Knuth spent a sabbatical with his wife in Norway. The time was meant to be spent relaxing. Yet one night he woke up his partner in a state of agitation. He ...

There are many different types of numbers, some of which you may remember from school: natural, rational, irrational, imaginary, calculable and incalculable numbers. Today, however, we are going to ...

Helena Osana received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for this research. Jairo A. Navarrete-Ulloa receives funding from the National Agency for Research and ...