The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. Calculus is a powerful mathematical tool. But for hundreds of years after its invention in the 17th century, it stood on a shaky ...

In the late 19th century, Karl Weierstrass invented a fractal-like function that was decried as nothing less than a “deplorable evil.” In time, it would transform the foundations of mathematics.

As a person with a chronic illness, I'm no stranger to bloodwork. I used to pore over my lab results, googling the various meanings, and trying not to panic when a test fell out of range. Function ...