ScienceDaily: Mathematics News

Can math models of gaming strategies be used to detect terrorism networks?

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:26:26 EDT

Mathematicians have developed a mathematical model to disrupt the flow of information in a complex real-world network, such as a terrorist organization, using minimal resources.

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.

Early math and reading ability linked to job and income in adulthood

Wed, 08 May 2013 12:31:31 EDT

Math and reading ability at age 7 may be linked with socioeconomic status several decades later, according to new research. The childhood abilities predict socioeconomic status in adulthood over and above associations with intelligence, education, and socioeconomic status in childhood.

Mathematical model measures hidden HIV

Wed, 08 May 2013 09:30:30 EDT

A new mathematical modeling technique reveals HIV virus may be replicating in body even when undetectable in the blood.

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.

How to manage motorway tolls through the Game Theory

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:13:13 EDT

Sophisticated mathematical methods could be used to improve traffic management.

Modeling disease spread, including flu

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:46:46 EDT

A collaborative research network that formed nearly 10 years ago has pioneered the use of computational and mathematical models to prepare for, detect and respond to influenza, pertussis, West Nile disease, dengue fever, cholera and other infectious disease threats.

Cellulose goes off the rails: Without microtubule guidance, cellulose causes changes in organ patterns during growth

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:25:25 EDT

Mathematics is everywhere in nature, and this is illustrated by the spiral patterns in plants such as pine cones, sunflowers or the arrangement of leaves around a stem. Most plants produce a new bud at 137 degrees from its predecessor, and this mathematical precision leads to observable helices. Normally, the relative position of organs does not change during growth, because the stems grow straight. But if the connection between the cytoskeleton and cellulose is removed, the cellulose fibres are synthesized in a tilted fashion and the stems start to twist. As a result, the angle between successive flowers disappears, and is instead replaced by other mathematical patterns that prove to be equally robust. Incidentally, this work suggests that in the absence of regulation, all plant stems should twist rather than grow straight.

Mathematical models out-perform doctors in predicting cancer patients' responses to treatment

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 11:06:06 EDT

Mathematical prediction models are better than doctors at predicting the outcomes and responses of lung cancer patients to treatment, according to new research. The researcher says she considers it unethical for treatment decisions to be based solely on doctors' opinions, when these models perform so much better.

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.

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."

Mathematics provides a shortcut to timely, cost-effective interventions for HIV

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:59:59 EDT

Mathematical estimates of treatment outcomes can cut costs and provide faster delivery of preventative measures. South Africa is home to the largest HIV epidemic in the world with a total of 5.6 million people living with HIV. Large-scale clinical trials evaluating combination methods of prevention and treatment are often prohibitively expensive and take years to complete. In the absence of such trials, mathematical models can help assess the effectiveness of different HIV intervention combinations, as demonstrated in a new study.

Mathematical method for simulating the evolution of the solar system improved

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:01:01 EDT

In order to improve a simulation designed to study the evolution of the solar system through time, numerical mathematical methods have been developed. Specifically, the methods proposed enable the simulation calculations to be done faster and more accurately.

Girls and math: Feelings of power can diffuse effects of negative stereotypes

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:15:15 EDT

New research from social psychologists suggests that feeling powerful might protect against the debilitating effects of negative stereotypes.

Online learning: It's different

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:22:22 EDT

Researchers have found that, by interspersing online lectures with short tests, student mind wandering decreased by 50 percent, note-taking tripled and overall retention of the material improved.

Could playing 'boys' games help girls in science and math?

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:26:26 EDT

A new review finds that men still have better spatial ability than women and this may be explained by gender-role identification.

Shape from sound: New methods to probe the universe

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:13:13 EDT

A new mathematical tool should allow scientists to use "sound" to help reveal the shape of the universe.

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.

Teachers' gestures boost math learning

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 12:51:51 EDT

Students perform better when their instructors use hand gestures -- a simple teaching tool that could yield benefits in higher-level math such as algebra.

How does innovation take hold in a community? Math modeling can provide clues

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:35:35 EDT

Mathematical models can be used to study the spread of technological innovations among individuals connected to each other by a network of peer-to-peer influences, such as in a physical community or neighborhood.

New lung cancer study takes page from Google's playbook

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:11:11 EDT

A new study shows that the same sort of mathematical model that Google uses to predict which websites people want to visit may help researchers predict how lung cancer spreads through the human body.

Prescription for double-dose algebra proves effective

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:53:53 EDT

Ninth-graders in Chicago Public Schools have significantly benefited from double-dose algebra (attending two consecutive periods of the subject) in ways that were not easily observable in the program's early years of existence.

Molecular geometry, new field in the making

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:13:13 EDT

Scientists are working towards creating a new field called Molecular Geometry which provides geometrical solutions within the study of molecules.

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.

Model allows engineers to test fuel systems on computers

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:47:47 EDT

Engineers will be able to design better fuel systems for everything from motorcycles to rockets faster and more inexpensively because of a new mathematical fuels model.

Nanoscale spinning magnetic droplets created

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:43:43 EDT

Researchers have successfully created a magnetic soliton -- a nano-sized, spinning droplet that was first theorized 35 years ago.

International gender difference in math and reading scores persists regardless of gender equality

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:18:18 EDT

Even in countries with high gender equality, sex differences in math and reading scores persisted in the 75 nations examined by a new study. Girls consistently scored higher in reading, while boys got higher scores in math, but these gaps are linked and vary with overall social and economic conditions of the nation.

What can sports teams learn from the manufacturing industry? Plenty

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:24:24 EDT

What can sports teams learn from the manufacturing industry? Plenty, according to researchers.

Pancakes with a side of math: A physiological model for sap exudation in maple trees

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 11:07:07 EST

The mechanisms behind sap exudation in sugar maple trees -- processes that trigger pressure differences causing sap to flow -- are a topic of much debate. In a new paper, researchers shed light on this subject by proposing a mathematical model for the essential physiological processes that drive sap flow.

Statistical physics offers a new way to look at climate

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:58:58 EST

New research suggests that statistical simulations rooted in basic physics could make for new climate models that are more useful and require less brute-force computing power. A new article shows how statistical simulations can be applied to fluid jets like the ones in Earth's atmosphere and oceans.

One law to rule them all: Sizes within a species appear to follow a universal distribution

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 15:16:16 EST

Biologists have discovered what might be a universal property of size distributions in living systems. If valid throughout the animal kingdom, it could have profound implications on how we understand population dynamics of large ecosystems.

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."

Short algorithm, long-range consequences

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:54:54 EST

A new technique for solving 'graph Laplacians' is drastically simpler than its predecessors, with implications for a huge range of practical problems.

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.

Gender gap disappears in school math competitions

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:30:30 EST

The idea that boys are better at math and in competitions has persisted for a long time - primarily because of the competition format. A new study shows that competitions that extend beyond a single round result in parity between the sexes.

Taking the gamble out of DNA sequencing: How much can be learned in a large-scale experiment

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 14:28:28 EST

Scientists have developed an algorithm to predict how much can be learned in a large-scale DNA sequencing experiment -- with potential applications in every field of science.

Factoring in the deadly math of cancer

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:11:11 EST

Researchers are building complex mathematical models to understand cancer's evolution and how to treat it.

Digital games contribute to HIV education in Uganda

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:38:38 EST

Computer games, virtual classroom with a discussion forum and video drama can be integrated in a common learning environment for teaching teenage children. This pedagogical approach has demonstrated the significance of using a variety of learning objects to achieve a common educational goal.

Scientists use Amazon Cloud to view molecular machinery in remarkable detail

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:02:02 EST

Researchers have shared a how-to secret for biologists: New code for Amazon Cloud that significantly reduces the time necessary to process data-intensive microscopic images.

Gap geometry grasped: New algorithm elucidates structure of liquids and how they flow through porous media

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:04:04 EST

A new algorithm could help understand the structure of liquids, and how they flow through porous media. Theoretical physicists have now implemented an algorithm for analyzing void space in sphere packing, where the spheres need not all be the same size.

Reconcilable differences: Study uncovers the common ground of scientific opposites

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:24:24 EST

Researchers have developed a mathematical framework that strips away the differences between scientific laws and theories to reveal how the ideas are compatible. They have explained how the mathematical model finds common ground between the famously at-odds physics equations that govern classical and quantum mechanics.

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.

Revolutionary theory of dark matter

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:15:15 EST

The universe abounds with dark matter. Nobody knows what it consists of. Physicists in Norway have now come up with a mathematical explanation that could solve the mystery once and for all.

Software package for all types of imaging

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 09:41:41 EST

Signal reconstruction algorithms can now be developed more elegantly because scientists have released a new software package for data analysis and imaging, NIFTY is useful for mapping in any number of dimensions or spherical projections without encoding the dimensional information in the algorithm itself. The advantage is that once a special method for image reconstruction has been programmed with NIFTY it can easily be applied to many other applications.

New tool for selecting embryos in fertility treatments

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 08:30:30 EST

Scientists have developed a new tool, a mathematical model to be exact, to help in the selection of embryos for transfer in fertility treatments. The model is especially useful for transfers of intermediate quality embryos on the second day after fertilization, when it is possible to estimate the probability of implantation in the uterus.

Physicists help show math behind growth of 'coffee rings'

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 17:23:23 EST

Last year, physicists showed how to undo the "coffee-ring effect," a commonplace occurrence when drops of liquid with suspended particles dry, leaving a ring-shaped stain at the drop's edges. Now the team is exploring how those particles stack up as they reach the drop's edge, and they discovered that different particles make smoother or rougher deposition profiles at the drop edge depending on their shape.

New report: The reach and impact of mathematical sciences

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 11:17:17 EST

The Mathematical Sciences in 2025, a new report from the U.S. National Research Council, finds that the mathematical sciences are an increasingly integral component of many disciplines -- including biology, medicine, the social sciences, business, advanced design, and climate studies.

How does your garden glow?

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:41:41 EST

Nature’s ability to create iridescent flowers has been recreated by mathematicians. They have created a mathematical model of a plant’s petals to help us learn more about iridescence in flowering plants and the role it may play in attracting pollinators.

A mathematical study of the famous Dirac equation that describes particles

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 08:22:22 EST

In 1928 the British physicist Paul Dirac put forward one of the fundamental equations that we use today to mathematically describe a spin one-half particle from a relativistic point of view. The mathematical representation that Dirac came up with enables certain particles, including the electron, to be better understood. Nevertheless, much more remains to be discovered.

Basic math skills linked to PSAT math success

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:36:36 EST

New research provides brain imaging evidence that students well-versed in very basic single digit arithmetic (5+2=7 or 7-3=4) are better equipped to score higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test, an examination sat by millions of students in the United States each year in preparation for college admission tests.

Video analysis: Detecting text every which way

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 07:30:30 EST

Software that detects and extracts text from within video frames, making it searchable, is set to make a vast resource even more valuable.

Tool to evaluate genome sequencing method developed

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 10:45:45 EST

Advances in bio-technologies and computer software have helped make genome sequencing much more common than in the past. But still in question are both the accuracy of different sequencing methods and the best ways to evaluate these efforts. Now, computer scientists have devised a tool to better measure the validity of genome sequencing.

How songbirds learn to sing: Mathematical model explains how birds correct mistakes to stay on key

Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:18:18 EST

Scientists studying how songbirds stay on key have developed a statistical explanation for why some things are harder for the brain to learn than others, building the first mathematical model that uses a bird's previous sensorimotor experience to predict its ability to learn. Their results show that adult birds correct small errors in their songs more rapidly and robustly than large errors.

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.

A mathematical formula to decipher the geometry of surfaces like that of cauliflower

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:18:18 EST

Scientists are describing laws that govern the development of certain complex natural patterns, such as those found on the surface of cauliflower.

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.

Replacing fossil fuels: Utilizing sea wave to generate electricity

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 08:08:08 EST

Researchers in Malaysia have carried out a conceptual study on mathematical modelling for sea wave in electricity generation.

Mathematics used to identify contamination in water distribution networks

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:35:35 EST

New research considers the identification of contaminants in a water distribution network as an optimal control problem within a networked system.