http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/mathematics/ Explore a wide range of recent research in mathematics. From mathematical modeling to why some people have difficulty learning math, read all the math-related news here. en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 Jul 2008 16:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/mathematics/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080724192258.htm We've all heard it. Many of us in fact believe it. Girls just aren't as good at math as boys. But is it true? After sifting through mountains of data - including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students who were tested in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act - a team of scientists says the answer is no. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080724192258.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718074652.htm Why do humans cooperate in things as diverse as environment conservation or the creation of fairer societies, even when they don't receive anything in exchange or, worst, they might even be penalized? This is a question that has puzzled academics for centuries, especially since in evolution the basis for the "survival of the fittest" is, after all, selfishness. Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080718074652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717221609.htm The 2008 All-Star Game was the game of a lifetime, and a math professor can prove it. "What happened Tuesday night was definitely a rare occurrence and one we should not expect to see again in our lifetimes," said the mathematics professor. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717221609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716154355.htm Will it ever be possible to buy software guaranteed to be free from bugs? A team of European researchers think so. Their work on the mathematical foundations of programming could one day revolutionize the software industry. Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080716154355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163210.htm NIST has released a five-chapter preview of the much-anticipated online Digital Library of Mathematical Functions. In development for over a decade, the DLMF is designed to be a modern successor to a 1964 reference work that is the most widely distributed NIST publication and one of the most cited works in the mathematical literature. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619203254.htm Swedish researchers have characterized novel systems properties of insulin signaling in human fat cells. Their mathematical modeling provides further insight into energy level maintenance (via the hormone insulin) within our bodies. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619203254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624145137.htm In an effort to promote the application of mathematics to medical treatment, researchers in the University of Pittsburgh's department of mathematics will undertake a $2.5 million project to create models of how the brain and immune system function and change over time in response to certain illnesses, infections, and treatment. The models are intended to help doctors better understand and predict the possible short- and long-term responses of their patient's body to treatment. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080624145137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611095251.htm Citation-based statistics, such as the impact factor, are often used to assess scientific research, but are they the best measures of research quality? Three international mathematics organizations have recently released a report, Citation Statistics, on the use of citations in assessing research quality -- a topic that is of increasing interest throughout the world's scientific community. The report is written from a mathematical perspective and strongly cautions against the over-reliance on citation statistics such as the impact factor and h-index. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611095251.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603100124.htm It often turns out there is more to commonplace everyday events than meets the eye. The folding of paper, or fall of water droplets from a tap, are two such events, both of which involve the creation of singularities requiring sophisticated mathematical techniques to describe, analyze and predict. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603100124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605181158.htm The mathematicians were trying to extend an illustrious result in their field, the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra. The astrophysicists were working on a fundamental problem in their field, the problem of gravitational lensing. That the two groups were in fact working on the same question is both expected and unexpected: The "unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" is well known throughout the sciences, but every new instance produces welcome insights and sheer delight. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605181158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606122856.htm Developing fundamental math and mechanics to explain life processes like embryo development, cellular migration and growth could open doors to a new frontier in biology, many researchers say. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080606122856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604101542.htm Researchers introduce a model for predicting infectious disease outbreaks that takes into account weather and other factors. Accounting for these factors creates a more accurate model for forecasting infectious disease outbreaks and designing early warning systems. Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080604101542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141344.htm The ability to map numbers onto a line is universal. But for an Amazonian tribe, this mapping is not linear but logarithmic. The finding illuminates both the nature and the limits of the human predisposition to measurement, a foundation for science, engineering, and much of our modern culture. Fri, 30 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529141344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529105316.htm Jörg Willems has made an important contribution to our understanding of multi-scale problems in fluid mechanics and thermodynamics. The effects of a stroke can now be significantly alleviated with a stem cell therapy based on umbilical cord blood. Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529105316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523162916.htm Students in public schools learn as much or more math between kindergarten and fifth grade as similar students in private schools, according to a new study of multi-year, longitudinal data on nearly 10,000 students. Tue, 27 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523162916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522210021.htm Researchers have developed a novel, computer-based strategy to study plasma lipoprotein profiles considered a major predictor of cardiovascular disease. Lipoproteins are the "container ships" in our blood that transport lipids (fats) such as cholesterol and triglycerides to various tissues; they differ largely in size and "cargo" composition. Abnormalities in the amount of certain lipoprotein fractions are considered a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and CVD. Tue, 27 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522210021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521173851.htm Humans have used symmetrical patterns for thousands of years in both functional and decorative ways. Now, a new book by three mathematicians offers both math experts and enthusiasts a new way to understand symmetry and a fresh way to see the world. Sat, 24 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521173851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521120508.htm Sophisticated mathematical modeling methods and a "CatCam" that captures feline-centric video of a forest are two elements of a new effort to explain how the brain's visual circuitry processes real scenes. The new model of the neural responses of a major visual-processing brain region promises to significantly advance understanding of vision. Thu, 22 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080521120508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520090551.htm Researchers have created 'living computers' by genetically altering bacteria. The research demonstrates that computing in living cells is feasible, opening the door to a number of applications including data storage and as a tool for manipulating genes for genetic engineering. A research team from biology and the mathematics departments of Davidson College, Biologists and mathematicians added genes to Escherichia coli bacteria, creating bacterial computers able to solve a classic mathematical puzzle, known as the burnt pancake problem. Wed, 21 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520090551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105644.htm A new way to measure breathing patterns in sleeping infants which may also work for adults has just been created. The researcher has created a mathematical formula that measures varying breathing patterns which indicate different sleep states such as active or quiet sleep. Wed, 07 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507105644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505074759.htm As many parents know, it's often easier to keep your kids under control by exerting less authority rather than more. A child who fidgets uncontrollably in a confining booster seat, for example, may be perfectly content on a plain old chair. Physicists have found that the same is true in controlling the movement of particles suspended in liquids. What's more, they speculate that many microscopic systems, macroscopic ecosystems, and human social systems may respond to a gentle touch for the very same mathematical reasons. Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505074759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502094232.htm The latest results from the National Science Foundation's Math and Science Partnership program show not only improved proficiency among all elementary and middle school students, but also a closing of the achievement gaps between both African-American and Hispanic students and white students in elementary school math, and between African-American and white students in elementary and middle-school science. Mon, 05 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502094232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502111638.htm A new mathematical and statistical method allows the virus population in a diseased organism to be determined quickly and economically. Using this method, medicines and vaccines against diseases caused by viral infections could be developed and deployed in a more targeted way in the future. Through their diversity resulting from continuous mutation, viruses easily develop drug resistance. This is also why the manufacture of a vaccine against HIV has been unsuccessful up to now. To bring both under control, the strains of virus present in the host must be known. A new method developed by researchers from Switzerland and America now promises help in identifying diverse virus populations. Mon, 05 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502111638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501155234.htm Researchers from HP Labs have proven the existence of what had previously been only theorized as the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering. This scientific advancement could make it possible to develop computer systems that have memories that do not forget, do not need to be booted up, consume far less power and associate information in a manner similar to that of the human brain. Thu, 01 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501155234.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140410.htm A new study challenges the common practice in many classrooms of teaching mathematical concepts by using "real-world," concrete examples. Researchers found that college students who learned a mathematical concept with concrete examples couldn't apply that knowledge to new situations. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424140410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101810.htm Researchers have developed a method to calculate how a device can provide maximum functionality with a minimum quantity of processor and memory capacity. TVs, DVD players and mobile phones can malfunction when the inbuilt chips and software cease to cope with the increasingly large flow of data. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423101810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416161215.htm There's safety in numbers -- especially when those numbers are random. That's the lesson learned from new research that is already helping to beef up security at LAX airport in Los Angeles. Soon it may be used across the country to both predict and minimize risk. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416161215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416110124.htm A mathematical model suggests that the odds of finding new life on other Earth-like planets are low, given the time it has taken for beings such as humans to evolve and the remaining life span of the Earth. Structurally complex and intelligent life evolved late on Earth and it has already been suggested that this process might be governed by a small number of very difficult evolutionary steps. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416110124.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142454.htm Three music professors have devised a new way of analyzing and categorizing music that takes advantage of the deep, complex mathematics they see enmeshed in its very fabric. Writing in Science, they have outlined a method called "geometrical music theory" that translates the language of musical theory into that of contemporary geometry. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417142454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407092936.htm The relationship between a thin liquid film or drop of liquid and the shape of the surface that it wets is explained with a new simplified mathematical formula. Understanding the precise interaction between liquids and surfaces is important for a number of areas, including the chemical industry and new nanotechnologies. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407092936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402101704.htm The cost of treating wastewater contaminated with nitrogen could be lowered in future. Soil scientists have developed a new mathematical model which can help determine the optimum conditions for microbiological water treatment. Using the stable natural nitrogen isotope, this mathematical model is the most accurate to date. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402101704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404122139.htm Will the Miss America pageant ever be the same? "Beauty," goes the old saying, "is in the eye of the beholder." But does the beholder have to be human? Not necessarily, say computer scientists who have successfully "taught" a computer how to interpret attractiveness in women. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080404122139.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331110052.htm A Dutch mathematician has investigated probability calculations in mathematical sandpile models. Although the rules of the model are simple, the wide-ranging behavior that emerges from these is fascinating. The research concerns various forms of self-organization in these models. Practical applications are far-ranging, including the movements in the Earth's crust, stock market fluctuations and the formation of traffic jams. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331110052.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331135546.htm NJIT's indefatigable math professor Bruce Bukiet is once again opining on outcomes for this season's Major League Baseball teams. Bukiet's system for recommending wagers has produced positive results for five of the seven years he has posted results. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331135546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080329121353.htm Most schoolchildren struggle to learn geometry, but they are still able to catch a ball without first calculating its parabola. Why should robots be any different? Researchers have developed an artificial cognitive system that learns from experience and observation rather than relying on predefined rules and models. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080329121353.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173455.htm A new mathematical model gives scientists a smarter way to learn which cellular processes are key in many diseases and thus find the most effective drug targets. Scientists say the model, now freely available to researchers, should speed the search for effective treatments for cancer, inflammation and other conditions that affect millions of people. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314145039.htm Many people find complex math puzzling, including some mathematicians. Recently, a mathematician has found solutions to a puzzle that has been around for centuries. They have found a way to generate an infinite number of solutions for a puzzle known as 'Euler's Equation of degree four.' The equation is part of a branch of mathematics called number theory. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080314145039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124415.htm A new mathematical object, long know to exist but never seen, had its first sighting yesterday. Two researchers have exhibited the first example of a third degree transcendental L-function. These L-functions encode deep underlying connections between many different areas of mathematics. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313124415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311215658.htm Scientists have shown that malaria eradication in Africa is sustainable, and any re-emergence of malaria in industrialized nations is highly unlikely. Researchers have created a mathematical model of malaria transmission throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Sun, 16 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080311215658.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303110214.htm A problem which has defeated mathematicians for almost 140 years has now been solved. The breakthrough is in an area of mathematics known as conformal mapping, a key theoretical tool used by mathematicians, engineers and scientists to translate information from a complicated shape to a simpler circular shape so that it is easier to analyze. Key additions have been made to the Schwarz-Christoffel formula. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080303110214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220130507.htm A straight line may be the shortest distance between two points, but it isn't necessarily the fastest or easiest path to follow. That's particularly true when terrain is not level, and now American and British researchers have developed a mathematical model showing that a zigzag course provides the most efficient way for humans to go up or down steep slopes. Trails evolve, among other reasons, because of physical differences in people and the differences in the biomechanics and energy cost of ascending and descending a slope. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220130507.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221162405.htm Preparing groundwork for an exascale computer is the mission of the new Institute for Advanced Architectures, launched jointly at Sandia and Oak Ridge national laboratories. An exaflop is a thousand times faster than a petaflop, itself a thousand times faster than a teraflop. Teraflop computers —the first was developed 10 years ago at Sandia — currently are the state of the art. They do trillions of calculations a second. Exaflop computers would perform a million trillion calculations per second. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221162405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102145.htm A sophisticated new mathematical model identifies controlling the way that antibiotics are prescribed and administered is the key to control the growing epidemic of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals around the world. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102145.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215211940.htm A new way of looking at cities that has emerged during the last 20 years that could revolutionize planning and ultimately benefit city dwellers. 'The Size, Scale and Shape of Cities' advocates an integrated approach to the theory of how cities evolve by linking urban economics and transportation behavior with developments in network science, allometric growth and fractal geometry. Professor Batty argues that planning's reliance on the imposition of idealized geometric plans upon cities is rooted in the nineteenth century attitude which viewed cities as chaotic, sprawling and dirty. Instead, he reports research that suggests beneath the apparent chaos, there is a strong order. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080215211940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102113.htm A mathematical model that looks at different strategies for curbing hospital-acquired infections suggests that antimicrobial cycling and patient isolation may be effective approaches when patients are harboring dual-resistant bacteria. In an era of "superbugs," such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas (MRSA), this type of modeling, if used to develop policies and treatment protocols, may reduce dual drug-resistant infections in hospitals. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102117.htm A mathematical model shows that a new wave of drug-resistant HIV is rising among among men in San Francisco who have sex with men and that this trend will continue over the next few years, according to a new study. At the same time, the evolution of drug-resistant HIV may have actually reduced the severity of the city's epidemic, saving many men from becoming infected. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217102117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213111053.htm New computer software could enable swimmers to improve a key aspect of their technique more quickly and effectively than previously possible -- ramping up the competition for gold medals. The software provides instant, in-depth feedback on a swimmer's glide technique. Swimmers glide following starts and turns, when a swimmer is not moving their arms or legs but is just using their momentum to travel through the water. As well as supplying data on head position, body posture/alignment etc, the software actively suggests ways a swimmer can improve their posture to minimize resistance and pinpoints the optimum moment to begin kicking. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080213111053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207085618.htm Though girls now take as many math courses as boys in high school, new research finds that one's friends have a stronger influence on girls' decisions to take higher level math classes than on boys. Both girls and boys who had close friends who made good grades took more higher-level math than other teens. However the findings suggest that we should examine the reasons why boys and girls take different paths to the same outcome. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080207085618.htm