In algebra, letters are used when numbers are not known. Algebraic terms, such as \(2s\) or \(8y\), leave the multiplication signs out. So rather than \(2 \times s\), write \(2s\), and rather than \(8 ...

A mathematical proof is a sequence of statements that follow on logically from each other that shows that something is always true. Using letters to stand for numbers means that we can make statements ...

Pierre Deligne netted the prize, one oft he most prestigious in mathematics and worth about $1 million, for proving a deep conjecture about algebraic geometry which has helped to transform number ...