Mathematics

Cutting Wedding Cake The Science Way

Weddings are a lot of stress, primarily for women but, in 19 states, lots of men as well. Math can ease some of the burden- at least when it comes to cutting the cake. But first let's show how it works with just two people. Believe it or not this top ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 17 2014 - 7:00am

Robotic Grasp Gives You Two Extra Fingers

An MIT robotic device is worn around the wrist and basically works like two extra fingers adjacent to the pinky and thumb. A novel control algorithm enables it to move in sync with the wearer's fingers to grasp objects of various shapes and sizes. We ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 20 2014 - 1:02pm

Algorithm Reduces CT Scans To Diagnose Children With Appendicitis

An algorithm works for diagnosing pediatric patients with suspected appendicitis and that reduces the utilization of computed tomography (CT) scans, without affecting diagnostic accuracy. Acute appendicitis is the most common cause of acute abdominal pain ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 1 2014 - 6:30am

Mathematical Equation Can Predict Your Happiness

Money can't make you happy but perhaps math can predict how much less unhappy you will be than if you lived in poverty. The happiness of over 18,000 people worldwide has been predicted by a mathematical equation, with results showing that moment-to-m ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 10 2014 - 2:25pm

Meta-Analyses Get Lots Of Attention, Without Noting That Approaches Affect Outcomes

Depending on the analysis strategy used, estimating treatment outcomes in meta-­analyses may differ and may result in major alterations in the conclusions derived from the analysis, according to a study in JAMA which could easily apply to all fields.  ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 12 2014 - 6:59pm

Fixing Fossil Record Correction Methods For More Accuracy

Mathematical techniques that not only identify whether two data sets correlate, but also whether one drives the other, have allowed researchers to look at a lot of old data in new ways. Methods have been developed to try to identify and correct for bias i ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 4 2014 - 10:32am

Standard Model Extension Uses Knot Algebra

A recent paper makes a connection between the quantum group SLq(2), which describes knots, and the elementary particles of the Standard Model.  A mathematical knot is an embedding of a circle in 3-dimensional Euclidean space. Unlike your shoes, with their ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 12 2014 - 10:28am

Being Too Analytical Could Push Ethics Out The Door

Calculating the pros and cons is a time-honored method for making analytical decisions but focusing too much on numberscalculations, especially those involving money, can lead to negative consequences, including social and moral transgressions, says a new ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 15 2014 - 9:57pm

Clearing Up Confusion Between Correlation And Causation

An example of unidirectional cause and effect: bad weather means umbrella sales rise, but buying umbrellas won't make it rain. Credit: Mariusz Olszewski/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND By Jonathan Borwein (Jon), University of Newcastle and Michael Rose, Universi ...

Article - The Conversation - Sep 25 2014 - 7:30am

Uncertainty Improves The Math Of Fluid Flow

Mathematicians have introduced a new element of uncertainty into an equation used to describe the behavior of fluids, which might make it possible to better reflect the inherent uncertainties of the natural world. ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 29 2014 - 5:30pm