🔢

Mathematics

Pi, infinity, the golden ratio, exponential growth — the mathematical concepts that escaped the classroom and now show up in design, finance, biology, and casual argument.

6 entries

Level

Core

Common

All

concept

Mathematics

Infinity (∞)

The concept of a quantity without bound — and, in modern math, of multiple distinct sizes of unboundedness.

concept

Mathematics

Pi (π)

The ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter — an irrational number that begins 3.14159… and never terminates or repeats.

concept

Mathematics

The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)

The rough observation that ~80% of effects come from ~20% of causes — first noticed in income distribution and now applied to almost everything.

concept

Mathematics

The Golden Ratio (φ)

The ratio (about 1.618) you get when a line is divided so the whole is to the larger part as the larger part is to the smaller — often claimed to underlie classical beauty.

concept

Mathematics

The Pythagorean Theorem

In any right-angled triangle, a² + b² = c² — the squares of the two short sides add up to the square of the long one (the hypotenuse).

concept

Mathematics

Zero

The number for 'nothing' — and one of the most consequential conceptual inventions in human history.