ScienceDaily: Math Puzzle News

Human-like opponents lead to more aggression in video game players

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:39:39 EDT

Video games that pit players against human-looking characters may be more likely to provoke violent thoughts and words than games where monstrous creatures are the enemy, according to a new study.

Fast and painless way to better mental arithmetic? Yes, there might actually be a way

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:39:39 EDT

In the future, if you want to improve your ability to manipulate numbers in your head, you might just plug yourself in. So say researchers who report on studies of a harmless form of brain stimulation applied to an area known to be important for math ability.

Most math being taught in kindergarten is old news to students

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:51:51 EDT

Kindergarten teachers report spending much of their math instructional time teaching students basic counting skills and how to recognize geometric shapes -— skills the students have already mastered before ever setting foot in the kindergarten classroom, new research finds.

Common myths about digital piracy busted

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:14:14 EDT

The results of a large-scale, analysis of BitTorrent file-sharing of computer games, focusing on using open methodologies, bust some of the common myths about digital piracy.

With the right mortgage, home ownership builds wealth

Thu, 09 May 2013 18:46:46 EDT

The Great Recession, characterized by devastating mortgage defaults, has challenged the conventional wisdom that home ownership is a good investment, particularly for those with low and moderate incomes. But the conventional wisdom on the benefits of owning vs. renting still holds when done right, according to a newly published study.

Monkey math: Baboons show brain's ability to understand numbers

Fri, 03 May 2013 13:27:27 EDT

Opposing thumbs, expressive faces, complex social systems: it's hard to miss the similarities between apes and humans. Now a new study with a troop of zoo baboons and lots of peanuts shows that a less obvious trait -- the ability to understand numbers -- also is shared by humans and their primate cousins.

Violent video games have lower effects on highly-exposed teens

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:50:50 EDT

Teenagers who are highly exposed to violent video games —- three or more hours per day -— show blunted physical and psychological responses to playing a violent game, reports a new study.

Child's counting comprehension may depend on objects counted, study shows

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:44:44 EDT

Psychologists have found that use of certain objects for counting have mixed results with preschoolers, particularly if those objects are rich in perceptual detail (bright and shiny).

'Big data’ algorithm used to customize video game difficulty

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:42:42 EDT

Researchers have developed a computational model that can predict video game players’ in-game performance and provide a corresponding challenge they can beat, leading to quicker mastery of new skills. The advance not only could help improve user experiences with video games but also applications beyond the gaming world.

Video games: Bad or good for your memory?

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:47:47 EDT

After the horrific shooting sprees at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Tech in 2007, players of violent video games, such as First Person Shooter (FPS) games, have often been accused in the media of being impulsive, antisocial, or aggressive.

Scientists pinpoint brain's area for numeral recognition

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EDT

Scientists have determined the precise anatomical coordinates of a brain "hot spot," measuring only about one-fifth of an inch across, that is preferentially activated when people view the ordinary numerals we learn early on in elementary school, like "6" or "38."

Mathematician publishes 2013 Major League Baseball projections

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:52:52 EDT

It looks like 2013 will be a thrilling season for baseball fans as four of the six divisions can be expected to deliver tight races, says a baseball guru and mathematician.

More career options may explain why fewer women pursue jobs in science and math

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:44:44 EDT

Women may be less likely to pursue careers in science and math because they have more career choices, not because they have less ability, according to a new study.

'Practice' makes a perfect lure for Internet gambling

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:58:58 EDT

New research has studied the behavior of young people lured into Internet gambling through so-called 'free-play' or 'practice' modes.

Video game 'exercise' for an hour a day may enhance certain cognitive skills

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:21:21 EDT

Playing video games for an hour each day can improve subsequent performance on cognitive tasks that use similar mental processes to those involved in the game, according to new research.

Signal processing: Look-up tables to shoulder the processing load

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:16:16 EDT

Computing tasks for signal processing could be performed more quickly with less power by using look-up tables.

Seniors who play video games report better sense of emotional well-being

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:12:12 EST

New research finds that older adults who play video games report higher levels of emotional well-being.

Fermat's Last Theorem and more can be proved more simply

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:56:56 EST

Mathematicians have shown Fermat's Last Theorem can be proved using only a small portion of Grothendieck's work. Specifically, the theorem can be justified using "finite order arithmetic."

Space race underway to create quantum satellite

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 19:46:46 EST

A new article describes how a quantum space race is under way to create the world's first global quantum-communication network.

First grade math skills set foundation for later math ability

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:13:13 EST

Children who failed to acquire a basic math skill in first grade scored far behind their peers by seventh grade on a test of the mathematical abilities needed to function in adult life, according to researchers.

Authors: Develop digital games to improve brain function and well-being

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:43:43 EST

Neuroscientists should help to develop compelling digital games that boost brain function and improve well-being, say two professors specializing in the field.

Quantum cryptography put to work for electric grid security

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:41:41 EST

Quantum cryptography researchers completed the first-ever demonstration of securing control data for electric grids using quantum cryptography.

Largest known prime number discovered; has 17,425,170 digits

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:54:54 EST

On Jan. 25, the largest known prime number, 257,885,161-1, was discovered on Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search (GIMPS) volunteer Curtis Cooper's computer. The new prime number, 2 multiplied by itself 57,885,161 times, less one, has 17,425,170 digits. With 360,000 CPUs peaking at 150 trillion calculations per second, 17th-year GIMPS is the longest continuously-running global "grassroots supercomputing" project in Internet history.

Virtual superheroes more helpful in real world, too

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:41:41 EST

Having virtual super-powers in a game may incite people to better behavior in the real world, according to new research.

Program to overcome early U.S. math deficiencies could improve workforce

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 08:30:30 EST

Researchers identified how a lack of a specific math skill in first grade correlated to lower scores on a seventh grade math test used to determine employability and wages in adults.

E-games boost physical activity in children; Might be a weapon in the battle against obesity

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:57:57 EST

Video games have been blamed for contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. But a new study by researchers suggests that certain blood-pumping video games can boost energy expenditures among children who are at high risk for unhealthy weight gain.

The reason we lose at games: Some games simply too complex for the human mind to understand

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:12:12 EST

If you have ever wondered why you never seem to win at skill-based games such as poker or chess, there might be a very good reason. Scientists have discovered that some games are simply impossible to fully learn, or too complex for the human mind to understand.

Motivation, study habits -- not IQ -- determine growth in math achievement

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 08:04:04 EST

It's not how smart students are but how motivated they are and how they study that determines their growth in math achievement. That's the main finding of a study that looks at six annual waves of data from a German longitudinal study assessing math ability in 3,520 students in grades five to 10. Students who felt competent; were intrinsically motivated; and avoided rote learning showed more growth in math achievement than those who didn't.

Math formula gives new glimpse into the magical mind of Ramanujan

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 09:16:16 EST

Dec. 22 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Srinivasa Ramanujan, an Indian mathematician renowned for intuiting extraordinary numerical patterns without the use of proofs or modern mathematical tools. A mathematician has now solved one of the greatest puzzles left behind by the enigmatic Indian genius with the development of a formula for mock modular forms that may prove useful to physicists who study black holes.

Creativity and linguistic skills important for immersion in World of Warcraft

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 10:26:26 EST

The sense of immersion in role-play and computer games is sometimes viewed as dangerous, as players’ strong perceptions of fictional worlds are assumed to make them lose contact with reality. On the other hand, players’ immersion also implies a potential for improved learning, since it enables them to ‘experience’ new places and historical eras. Yet a new study from Sweden shows that immersion in online role-play games requires a lot of hard work.

Mathematics helps mobiles and tablets match eyes' ability to switch from sunshine to shadow

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 09:33:33 EST

Researchers have pushed the boundaries of High Dynamic Range (HDR) video to match our own eyes’ ability to cope with the real world's ever rapidly changing light intensity - such as sun simply going behind clouds. Now researchers have found a way to compress and stream HDR video directly to monitors and mobile devices, such as an iPad, bringing enormous benefits to industries including gaming and security.

Putting more cores to work in server farms

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:12:12 EST

Scientists have found that reorganizing the inner architecture of the processors used in massive data processing centers can yield significant energy savings. Their work is part of the EcoCloud program.

The aftermath of calculator use in college classrooms

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:14:14 EST

Math instructors promoting calculator usage in college classrooms may want to rethink their teaching strategies, experts say. They have proposed the need for further research regarding calculators' role in the classroom after conducting a limited study with undergraduate engineering students.

Supercomputing for a superproblem: A computational journey into pure mathematics

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:55:55 EST

In 1900, twenty-three unsolved mathematical problems, known as Hilbert's Problems, were compiled as a definitive list by mathematician David Hilbert. A century later, the seven most important unsolved mathematical problems to date, known as the 'Millennium Problems', were listed by the Clay Mathematics Institute. Solving one of these Millennium Problems has a reward of US $1,000,000, and so far only one has been resolved, namely the famous Poincare Conjecture, which only recently was verified. Now a negative solution to one of Hilbert's problems has been found. Mathematicians are working on the more challenging of maths problems -- and the only one that appears on both lists -- Riemann's zeta function hypothesis.

Common math standards supported with new study

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:04:04 EST

A new study analyzing the previous math standards of each U.S. state provides strong support for adoption of common standards, which US students desperately need to keep pace with their counterparts around the globe, a scholar argues.

World record for entanglement of twisted light quanta

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:53:53 EDT

Physicists have achieved a new milestone in the history of quantum physics: Scientists were able to generate and measure the entanglement of the largest quantum numbers to date.

When people worry about math, the brain feels the pain

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 21:37:37 EDT

Mathematics anxiety can prompt a response in the brain similar to when a person experiences physical pain. Using brain scans, scholars determined that the brain areas active when highly math-anxious people prepare to do math overlap with the same brain areas that register the threat of bodily harm—and in some cases, physical pain.

Higher-math skills entwined with lower-order magnitude sense

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:49:49 EDT

The ability to learn complex, symbolic math is a uniquely human trait, but it is intricately connected to a primitive sense of magnitude that is shared by many animals, finds a new study.

Math professor calls Detroit Tigers a favorite to win World Series

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:12:12 EDT

Since the Major League Baseball Division Series and League Championship Series have determined which teams will compete in the World Series, mathematics professor Bruce Bukiet has again analyzed the probability of each team taking the title.

Making Sudoku puzzles less puzzling

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 15:16:16 EDT

For anyone who has ever struggled while attempting to solve a Sudoku puzzle, mathematicians are coming to the rescue. They can not only explain why some Sudoku puzzles are harder than others, they have also developed a mathematical algorithm that solves Sudoku puzzles very quickly, without any guessing or backtracking.

Multi-photon approach in quantum cryptography implemented

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 09:35:35 EDT

Move over money, a new currency is helping make the world go round. As increasing volumes of data become accessible, transferable and, therefore, actionable, information is the treasure companies want to amass. To protect this wealth, organizations use cryptography, or coded messages, to secure information from "technology robbers." This group of hackers and malware creators increasingly is becoming more sophisticated at breaking encrypted information, leaving everyone and everything, including national security and global commerce, at risk.

Active video gaming linked with higher energy expenditure in children

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 17:52:52 EDT

Compared with rest and sedentary video game play, active video gaming with dancing and boxing were associated with increased heart rate, oxygen uptake and energy expenditure in a study of 18 school children in England.

Olympic Games in Rio 2016: Mathematical formula can predict medal haul, including impact of home advantage

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 19:09:09 EDT

Team GB is only likely to clock up 46 medals in the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, say researchers who used a mathematical formula three years ago to predict performance for London 2012, and came up with a medal haul of 63.

Serious games could be integrated into surgical training subject to validation

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 09:12:12 EDT

Serious gaming can be used to enhance surgical skills, but games developed or used to train medical professionals need to be validated before they are integrated into teaching methods, according to a new paper.

Can videogaming benefit young people with autism spectrum disorder?

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:09:09 EDT

Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder are typically fascinated by screen-based technology such as video games, and these can be used for educational and treatment purposes, as described in a new article.

Math ability requires crosstalk in the brain

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 10:35:35 EDT

Scientists have found that the strength of communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain predicts performance on basic arithmetic problems. The findings shed light on the neural basis of human math abilities and suggest a possible route to aiding those who suffer from dyscalculia-- an inability to understand and manipulate numbers.

Researchers make quantum processor capable of factoring a composite number into prime factors

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 15:37:37 EDT

Computing prime factors may sound like an elementary math problem, but try it with a large number, say one that contains more than 600 digits, and the task becomes enormously challenging and impossibly time-consuming. Now, a group of researchers has designed and fabricated a quantum processor capable of factoring a composite number -- in this case the number 15 -- into its constituent prime factors, 3 and 5. Factoring very large numbers is at the heart of cybersecurity protocols, such as the most common form of encoding, known as RSA encryption.

Quantum cryptography theory has a demonstrated security defect

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:49:49 EDT

Researchers have just demonstrated the incompleteness and limit of the security theory in quantum key distribution. The present theory cannot guarantee unconditional security.

Disentangling information from photons

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:17:17 EDT

Theoretical physicists have found a new method of reliably assessing the information contained in photon pairs used for applications in cryptography and quantum computing. The findings are so robust that they enable access to the information even when the measurements on photon pairs are imperfect.

Girls' mathematics performance more likely to suffer than boys' as a result of mathematics anxiety

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 09:31:31 EDT

If a train is travelling a distance of 55 miles at 150mph, how long will it take to reach its destination? If the thought of having to answer this question makes you apprehensive, then you may have mathematics anxiety. A new study reports that a number of school-age children suffer from mathematics anxiety and, although both genders’ performance is likely to be affected as a result, girls’ maths performance is more likely to suffer than boys’.

Ability to estimate quantity increases in first 30 years of life

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:33:33 EDT

One of the basic elements of cognition -- the ability to estimate quantities -- grows more precise across the first 30 years or more of a person's life, according to researchers. This intuitive grasp of numbers, also called an approximate number sense, or ANS, is tied to concrete math skills at every stage of life, the researchers found.

Citizen science: Study allows thousands to test 'gut sense' for numbers

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:22:22 EDT

A first-of-its kind study using the World Wide Web to collect data from more than 10,000 study subjects ages 11 to 85 found that humans' inborn "number sense" improves during school years, declines during old age, and remains linked throughout the entire lifespan to academic mathematics achievement.

Math experts question key ecological theory

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 13:31:31 EDT

Mathematicians say they have disproved a widely accepted theory underpinning the operation of complex networks of interactions in the natural world.

Knowledge of fractions and long division predicts long-term math success

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:40:40 EDT

From factory workers to Wall Street bankers, a reasonable proficiency in math is a crucial requirement for most well-paying jobs in a modern economy. Yet, over the past 30 years, mathematics achievement of US high school students has remained stagnant -- and significantly behind many other countries, including China, Japan, Finland, the Netherlands and Canada. A research team led by Carnegie Mellon University's Robert Siegler has identified a major source of the gap -- US students' inadequate knowledge of fractions and division.

Videogamers no better at talking while driving

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:24:24 EDT

No matter how much time you've spent training your brain to multitask by playing "Call of Duty," you're probably no better at talking on the phone while driving than anybody else, according to a new study.

Toddler spatial knowledge boosts understanding of numbers

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:20:20 EDT

Children who are skilled in understanding how shapes fit together to make recognizable objects also have an advantage when it comes to learning the number line and solving math problems. The work is further evidence of the value of providing young children with early opportunities in spatial learning, which helps them mentally manipulate objects.

Molecular algebra in mammalian cells

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:28:28 EDT

Researchers have reprogrammed mammalian cells in such a way as to perform logical calculations like a pocket calculator. The cells owe this ability to one of the most complex gene networks that has ever been incorporated into a higher cell.

Cell network security holes revealed, with an app to test your carrier

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:28:28 EDT

Popular firewall technology designed to boost security on cellular networks can backfire, unwittingly revealing data that could help a hacker break into Facebook and Twitter accounts, a new study shows.

Study finds twist to the story of the number line: Number line is learned, not innate human intuition

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:27:27 EDT

Tape measures. Rulers. Graphs. The gas gauge in your car, and the icon on your favorite digital device showing battery power. The number line and its cousins -- notations that map numbers onto space and often represent magnitude -- are everywhere. Most adults in industrialized societies are so fluent at using the concept, we hardly think about it. We don't stop to wonder: Is it "natural"? Is it cultural? Now, challenging a mainstream scholarly position that the number-line concept is innate, a study suggests it is learned.

Can video games promote healthier aging?

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:31:31 EDT

Video-game technology is proving to be a valuable tool for helping people of all ages improve lifestyle and health habits and manage disease. New research is showing that exergames have significant benefits for older adults by providing cognitive stimulation and a source of social interaction, exercise, and fun.