Math Drudge

That mysterious but important number zero

By admin, on November 21st, 2011

In two articles [BaiBor2011a; BaiBor2011b], two earlier blog posts [BlogA; BlogB] and a Conversation piece, we have examined the discovery and development of our modern system of decimal arithmetic with zero, which discovery we believe to be among the greatest of all historical mathematical achievements. It is certainly nontrivial, as evidenced by the fact that . . . → Read More: That mysterious but important number zero

Proposed mathematical journal rating system

By admin, on November 20th, 2011

In response to the use of citation data in research assessments such as Excellence in Research for Australia, the International Mathematical Union (IMU) and the International Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM) are considering producing a mathematics journal rating system to mitigate the exploitation of commercial or national rating methods, see also the 2008 . . . → Read More: Proposed mathematical journal rating system

Mathematics and scientific fraud

By admin, on November 3rd, 2011

From time to time, the scientific community is rocked with cases of scientific fraud. Needless to say, such incidents do not help instill confidence in the public mind that is already predisposed to be skeptical of inconvenient scientific findings, including biological evolution and global warming.

One notable case of fraud came to light in 2002, . . . → Read More: Mathematics and scientific fraud

“Exploratory Experimentation and Computation” published in AMS Notices

By admin, on October 14th, 2011

An article entitled “Exploratory Experimentation and Computation,” authored by the present bloggers, has appeared in the November 2011 issue of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society. The full PDF of the article is available Here. The article has been highlighted in a number of press reports, including: LBNL News, Science Daily, Eurekalert, Physorg, Newswise, . . . → Read More: “Exploratory Experimentation and Computation” published in AMS Notices

How far away is everybody?

By admin, on September 29th, 2011

Introduction

Many of us know that the sun is approximately 150 million km or 93 million miles away, a distance that is known as the “astronomical unit” (AU). Neptune, the most distant planet, is 30 AU from the sun, or some 44.8 billion km (27.9 billion mi). The Voyager 2 spacecraft, launched in 1977, reached . . . → Read More: How far away is everybody?

Borwein gives talk on teaching and learning

By admin, on September 28th, 2011

Professor Jonathan M. Borwein delivered the keynote talk Teaching and Researching with Collaboration Tools and Technology as part of the 2011 Australian Learning and Teaching Council workshop, “Effective Teaching, Effective Learning in the Quantitative Disciplines,” held 29-30 Sep 2011 at the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. This practical, hands-on and interactive workshop immediately followed the . . . → Read More: Borwein gives talk on teaching and learning

Review of “Loving and Hating Mathematics”

By admin, on September 23rd, 2011

Loving and Hating Mathematics (Princeton University Press, 2010) is the child of two passionate scholars: a mathematician (Reuben Hersh) and a social scientist (Vera John-Steiner). Reuben Hersh has written for many articles for the Intelligencer, as well as earlier books such as The Mathematical Experience, coauthored with Davis and Marchisotto, and What is Mathematics Really?.

. . . → Read More: Review of “Loving and Hating Mathematics”

Where is everybody?

By admin, on September 9th, 2011

Introduction

During a lunch in the summer of 1950, physicists Enrico Fermi, Edward Teller and Herbert York were chatting about a recent New Yorker cartoon depicting aliens abducting trash cans in flying saucers. Suddenly, Fermi suddenly blurted out, “Where is everybody?”

Behind Fermi’s question was this line of reasoning: Since there are likely many other . . . → Read More: Where is everybody?

Magic numbers

By admin, on August 23rd, 2011

The Conversation, an online forum from the Australian academic research community and aimed at the interested public, has featured an essay written by the present bloggers. Entitled “Magic numbers: the beauty of decimal notation,” it is available here: Conversation article.

This piece briefly mentions the history of positional decimal arithmetic, from its original discovery by . . . → Read More: Magic numbers

Is math ability inborn or developed?

By admin, on August 14th, 2011

The “nature versus nurture” debate refers to discussions of the relative importance of a person’s innate qualities (“nature”) versus the importance of upbringing and experience (“nurture”). Such debates have been ongoing for centuries. Shakespeare even referred to such a debate in his play The Tempest (4:1). The phrase “nature versus nurture” in the current sense . . . → Read More: Is math ability inborn or developed?