Polynomials above 4 degrees have a shiny new target on their back.

Solving one of the oldest algebra problems isn't a bad claim to fame, and it's a claim Norman Wildberger can now make: The mathematician has solved what are known as higher-degree polynomial equations ...

University of New South Wales Honorary Professor Norman Wildberger has unveiled a potentially game-changing mathematical theory.

Two mathematicians have used a new geometric approach in order to address a very old problem in algebra ... to find exact solutions to higher degree polynomials. The Catalan numbers are a natural ...

solves one of algebra’s oldest challenges by finding a general solution to equations where the variable is raised to the fifth power or higher. Polynomials, which are equations that involve ...

"Our solution reopens a previously closed book in mathematics history," Prof. Wildberger says. Solutions to degree-two polynomials have been around since 1800 BC, thanks to the Babylonians ...

Students learn them beginning in algebra or pre-algebra classes, but they’re spoonfed examples ... you get two solutions, 2 and 6, which solve the original polynomial equation.

Most people’s experiences with polynomial equations don’t extend much further than high school algebra and the quadratic ... with larger examples stumping experts until in 1832.