Physics Paradigm Challenge

Mathematicians just found a "speed limit" for how chaotic certain numbers can get, solving a mystery that’s been bugging them for ages.

April 10, 2026

Original Paper

A Liouville-Type Inequality for Values of Mahler M-Functions

Boris Adamczewski, Colin Faverjon

arXiv · 2604.08208

The Takeaway

For years, researchers feared that certain complex numbers were so irrational they might defy standard classification. This new proof reveals these numbers are actually barred from the most extreme forms of mathematical randomness, establishing a fundamental boundary in the logic of our number system.

From the abstract

We establish a Liouville-type inequality for the values, at a common nonzero algebraic point, of arbitrary Mahler Mq-functions. As an application, we prove that no such value is a Liouville number, or even a U -number. This solves a long-standing problem in the field.