Math Drudge

[Editor’s note: This is reprinted from The Conversation, 18 Dec 2013. The original article is authored by Michael Rose and Jonathan Borwein.]

The warmth on your face, the scenic view outside — such delights are delivered to you by countless photons from the sun. But believe it or not, these photons move in much the same way as an inebriated person wandering home from the pub, or the initial whiff of coffee as you open a bag of beans.

Let me explain.

Travelling at the fastest speed known to physics, these photons crossed from the sun to the Earth in

Continue reading Tipsy tottering, sunlight and the smell of coffee: it’s all random

The 2012 edition of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) are in, and once Asia leads the way, with China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea and Japan scoring very well, while many first-world nations, such as Australia, the U.K. and the U.S., lag behind.

In Canada, which placed 13th overall in mathematics, “alarm bells went off” as

[m]ath scores, the focus of 2012 PISA tests whose results have just been released, declined 14 points in nine years in Canada. And the country produced fewer students who were high achievers – 16 per cent were at Level 5 or

Continue reading PISA international test scores show Australia, Canada, UK, USA lagging