Mathematics

Elegant Mathematical Formulas Activate the Same Brain Region As Music And Art

Beauty comes in many different guises, including numbers and symbols

Ready for work!

Mathematician Calculates 177,147 Ways to Tie a Tie

"I have tried 10 or 20 of them, and most of them to be quite honest look kind of awkward,” he says

Can a Statistical Model Accurately Predict Olympic Medal Counts?

Data miners have developed models that predict countries' medal counts by looking solely at stats like latitude and GDP

The Great Debate Over Whether 1+2+3+4..+ ∞ = -1/12

Can the sum of all positive integers = -1/12? It can, sort of...

A New App Turns Fractals Into Ornate Art

With Frax, users can create mathematically-driven art, adding color, depth and texture to geometric shapes

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3,000 Years of Human History, Described in One Set of Mathematical Equations

A surprisingly accurate model shows that warfare and military technology determined where empires arose

As part of the Star Songs project, X-ray emissions from the EX Hydrae system (above, near center)—in which one star pulls matter from its partner—are converted into music.

How to Convert X-Rays From A Distant Star into Blues, Jazz and Classical Music

A vision-impaired scientist, her coworker, and a composer team up to transform light bursts from stars into rhythms and melodies

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What Animal Sounds Look Like

Mark Fischer, a software developer in California, turns data from recordings of whales, dolphins and birds into psychedelic art

Daniel James Brown's book juxtaposes the coming together of the Washington crew team against the Nazis' preparations for the Olympics in 1936.

Olympic Rowers, King Tut Lessons and More Books to Read This Month

Also out in June: the math of life and the lives of astronauts’ wives

Maria Klawe — Mathematician, Computer Scientist & President of Harvey Mudd College

Mathematician, Computer Scientist & President of Harvey Mudd College

Many Americans think U.S. teens perform even worse on standardized science tests than they actually do, according to a new national survey.

How Much Do Americans Know About Science?

An exclusive poll shows Americans crave stronger mathematics, science schooling for U.S. kids

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Life in the City Is Essentially One Giant Math Problem

Experts in the emerging field of quantitative urbanism believe that many aspects of modern cities can be reduced to mathematical formulas

An investing strategy based on the frequency of certain words Google searches, it turns out, might provide sizable profits.

Google Search Terms Can Predict the Stock Market

An investing strategy based on the frequency of certain words Google searches, it turns out, might yield sizable profits

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How to Count to 100,000 STEM Teachers in 10 Years

Talia Milgrom-Elcott is building a coalition of the willing, an army devoted to bringing thousands of educators to the classroom

Using an equation based off animal territories, an anthropologist at UCLA was able to draw theoretical borders between gang turf in Los Angeles.

What Can Bees Teach Us About Gang Warfare?

In Los Angeles, an anthropologist is using equations to teach police about how street gangs operate

Ever wonder how much water is in a cloud?

How Much Water Is in a Cloud and More Questions From Our Readers

Imaginary numbers, Roy Lichtenstein and much much more

The gooey confections can be used to measure the speed of light and demonstrate relationships between the volume of a gas and its pressure and temperature.

Marshmallows: The Perfect Media for Demonstrating Principles of Physics

The gooey confections turn out to be a must-have for at-home science experiments

“Bunny” Bunny, by Henry Segerman and Craig Kaplan. The pattern on the bunny consists of copies of the word “bunny.” Listen as the artist describes the sculpture in this YouTube video.

Fresh Off the 3D Printer: Henry Segerman’s Mathematical Sculptures

A research fellow at the University of Melbourne has found a sneaky way to convert math haters to math lovers. He turns complex geometries into art

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That Time Indiana Almost Made Pi Equal to 3.2 And Other True Stories About Pi

As you celebrate today's holiday, here's a history of notable moments in the irrational number's past

12/12/12 and the Myriad of Number Patterns in Dates

Seen from a mathematical perspective, today's date--12/12/12--is more than a coveted wedding anniversary

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