Breaking the speed limit.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Breaking the speed limit. (cover story)
Authors: Elwes, Richard (AUTHOR)
Source: New Scientist. 4/25/2026, Vol. 270 Issue 3592, p38-41. 4p. 2 Color Photographs, 1 Cartoon or Caricature.
Subjects: Incompleteness theorems, Mathematical sequences, Mathematical logic, Graph theory, Mathematics theorems
Abstract: The article focuses on exceptionally fast-growing mathematical sequences that surpass traditional exponential growth and challenge foundational axioms in arithmetic. It highlights the Goodstein sequence, which grows faster than Peano arithmetic’s usual limits yet eventually terminates, illustrating Gödel’s incompleteness theorem by requiring axioms beyond Peano’s for its proof. The discussion extends to the graph minor theorem, a major result in structural graph theory, whose proof demands even stronger axiomatic systems involving complex sets, revealing profound logical depth arising from simple graph structures. These discoveries underscore ongoing research into the boundaries of mathematical logic and the complexity inherent in seemingly elementary numerical and combinatorial processes. [Extracted from the article]
Copyright of New Scientist is the property of New Scientist Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Breaking the speed limit. (cover story)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Elwes%2C+Richard%22">Elwes, Richard</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22New+Scientist%22">New Scientist</searchLink>. 4/25/2026, Vol. 270 Issue 3592, p38-41. 4p. 2 Color Photographs, 1 Cartoon or Caricature.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Incompleteness+theorems%22">Incompleteness theorems</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematical+sequences%22">Mathematical sequences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematical+logic%22">Mathematical logic</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Graph+theory%22">Graph theory</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mathematics+theorems%22">Mathematics theorems</searchLink>
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  Data: The article focuses on exceptionally fast-growing mathematical sequences that surpass traditional exponential growth and challenge foundational axioms in arithmetic. It highlights the Goodstein sequence, which grows faster than Peano arithmetic’s usual limits yet eventually terminates, illustrating Gödel’s incompleteness theorem by requiring axioms beyond Peano’s for its proof. The discussion extends to the graph minor theorem, a major result in structural graph theory, whose proof demands even stronger axiomatic systems involving complex sets, revealing profound logical depth arising from simple graph structures. These discoveries underscore ongoing research into the boundaries of mathematical logic and the complexity inherent in seemingly elementary numerical and combinatorial processes. [Extracted from the article]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of New Scientist is the property of New Scientist Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Text: English
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        StartPage: 38
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      – SubjectFull: Incompleteness theorems
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      – SubjectFull: Mathematical sequences
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      – SubjectFull: Mathematical logic
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      – SubjectFull: Mathematics theorems
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      – TitleFull: Breaking the speed limit.
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              Text: 4/25/2026
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              Y: 2026
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