-
+36 +1
Is algebra an unnecessary stumbling block in US schools?
Who needs algebra? That question muttered by many a frustrated student over the years has become a vigorous debate among American educators, sparked by a provocative new book that argues required algebra has become an unnecessary stumbling block that forces millions to drop out of high school or college. "One out of 5 young Americans does not graduate from high school. This is one of the worst records in the developed world. Why? The chief academic...
-
+53 +1
A fifth of adults have forgotten how to do fractions or percentages
One in five adults (or 20%) has forgotten how to work out either fractions or percentages, and even fewer remember how to calculate the mean, the median or the mode, according to a study. It reveals a perturbing lack of recall among many adults who have forgotten not just the rules of mathematics, but many of the key principles of English and science they were taught at school. In maths, 35% of the 2,000 adults who took part in the...
-
+22 +1
How a Mathematical Superstition Stultified Algebra for Over a Thousand Years
Like most people, my high-school training in mathematics involved next-to-no history, barely touching on the names of a few mathematicians, like Pythagoras, and their theorems. I graduated only vaguely aware that geometry came from ancient Greece and algebra came from the Babylonians... By Robert Coolman.
-
+19 +1
History: Einstein was no lone genius
Lesser-known and junior colleagues helped the great physicist to piece together his general theory of relativity, explain Michel Janssen and Jürgen Renn.
-
+20 +1
Encounter with the Infinite
How did the minimally trained, isolated Srinivasa Ramanujan, with little more than an out-of-date elementary textbook, anticipate some of the deepest theoretical problems of mathematics—including concepts discovered only after his death? By Robert Schneider with Benjamin Phelan.
-
+2 +1
A classic formula for pi has been discovered hidden in hydrogen atoms
This is truly amazing. By Fiona MacDonald.
-
+21 +1
Be Still My Pulsating Sequence
Can you infer the simple rule behind a number sequence that spikes up and down like the beating of a heart? By Pradeep Mutalik.
-
+22 +1
Theorists Draw Closer to Perfect Coloring
A theorem for coloring a large class of “perfect” mathematical networks could ease the way for a long-sought general coloring proof. By Natalie Wolchover.
-
+20 +1
What Is Elegance in Science?
Astrophysicists, art critics, biologists, and tennis fans seek to define the indefinable. By Patrick House.
-
+25 +1
The Cheshire Cat’s Grin
Solving the greatest mystery of Wonderland, 150 years later. By David Day.
-
+17 +1
A Beautiful Question by Frank Wilczek, review: 'worth the effort'
Lewis Dartnell grapples with a Nobel Prize-winner's attempt to prove that the universe is beautiful.
-
+23 +1
How to Get to the Fourth Dimension
A new book offers mathematical puzzles, such as fitting a coin through a hole that seems too small to accommodate it. Colm Mulcahy reviews "Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension: A Mathematician's Journey through Narcissistic Numbers, Optimal Dating Algorithms, at Least Two Kinds of Infinity, and More," by Matt Parker. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
-
+16 +1
The Singular Mind of Terry Tao
A prodigy grows up to become one of the greatest mathematicians in the world. By Gareth Cook.
-
+2 +1
Benford's Law
Benford's law is a phenomenological law also called the first digit law, first digit phenomenon, or leading digit phenomenon. Benford's law states that in listings, tables of statistics, etc., the digit 1 tends to occur with probability ∼30%, much greater than the expected 11.1% (i.e. one digit out of 9).
-
+1 +1
Non-transitive Dice
A set of dice where the "this die rolls a higher number than this other one more than half the time" relation is not transitive.
-
+8 +1
The idea behind the divergence theorem
Introduction to divergence theorem (also called Gauss's theorem), based on the intuition of expanding gas.
-
+1 +1
The Planimeter: An analogue device used to measure the area enclosed by a curve
A planimeter is a table-top instrument for measuring areas, usually the areas of irregular regions on a map or photograph. They were once common, but have now largely been replaced by digital tools.
-
+10 +1
A Grand Theory of Wrinkles
A collaboration between mechanical engineers and mathematicians has revealed universal rules for how wrinkles form.
-
+16 +1
Mathematicians Chase Moonshine’s Shadow
Researchers are on the trail of a mysterious connection between number theory, algebra and string theory
-
+22 +1
The Amazing, Autotuning Sandpile
A simple mathematical model of a sandpile shows remarkably complex behavior.
Submit a link
Start a discussion