https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Hyesang Chang and colleagues, from Stanford University, explored why some children struggle to learn math compared to their peers in a new JNeurosci paper. Children selected which numbers were bigger than others across different trials, with quantities represented as numerical symbols or as clusters of dots. The researchers created a model based on how much performance varied over time. The model suggested that children with difficulties in learning math struggled to update their thinking approach as they continued to get different types of trials wrong. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-exploring-children-struggle-math.html Mathematics Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:05 EST news689599857 Mathematics, like many other scientific endeavors, is increasingly using artificial intelligence. Of course, math is the backbone of AI, but mathematicians are also turning to these tools for tasks like literature searches and checking manuscripts for errors. But how well can AI perform when it comes to solving genuine, high-level research problems? https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-struggle-math-problems.html Mathematics Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:20:01 EST news689852927 Math anxiety is a significant challenge for students worldwide. While personalized support is widely recognized as the most effective way to address it, many teachers struggle to deliver this level of support at scale within busy classrooms. New research from Adelaide University shows how artificial intelligence (AI) could help address challenges such as math anxiety by using a student's inputs and identifying signs of anxiety or disengagement during learning. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ai-math-anxiety-student-feedback.html Mathematics Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:40:04 EST news689355145 An analysis of data from 200,000 students using a computer-assisted math program supports an optimistic view of skill-focused, mastery-based learning, even with limited use. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-qa-small-amounts-online-math.html Mathematics Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:45:25 EST news688653809 Young children are more inclined to believe incorrect math information from men than accurate information from women, according to a Rutgers University–New Brunswick study published in the journal Developmental Science. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-gender-bias-math.html Mathematics Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:30:05 EST news687695169 Playing linear number board games, those where players move pieces along a straight numbered path, can significantly strengthen young children's math skills, according to a new report by the HEDCO Institute for Evidence-Based Educational Practice at the UO. https://phys.org/news/2026-01-board-games-boost-young-kids.html Education Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:27:16 EST news687515222 Words matter. And when it comes to learning math, they matter more than you might think. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-parents-math-children-early-academic.html Education Wed, 19 Nov 2025 11:37:03 EST news682774621 At the 2024 International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), one competitor did so well that it would have been awarded the Silver Prize, except for one thing: it was an AI system. This was the first time AI had achieved a medal-level performance in the competition's history. In a paper published in the journal Nature, researchers detail the technology behind this remarkable achievement. https://phys.org/news/2025-11-ai-math-genius-accurate-results.html Mathematics Fri, 14 Nov 2025 09:50:06 EST news682335780 Australia's engineering skills gap and labor shortage is the highest it's been for more than a decade. New Swinburne research could explain why. https://phys.org/news/2025-10-declining-high-math-vce-contributing.html Mathematics Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:04 EDT news680421602 Mathematics has been the broccoli of school subjects for generations of Australian teenagers. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-year-12s-math.html Mathematics Sun, 07 Sep 2025 10:00:04 EDT news676284770 Crowded around a workshop table, four girls at de Zavala Middle School puzzled over a Lego machine they had built. As they flashed a purple card in front of a light sensor, nothing happened. https://phys.org/news/2025-09-girls-fell-boys-math-pandemic.html Education Fri, 05 Sep 2025 04:20:01 EDT news676264589 From classrooms to kitchen tables, debates about math education are never far away. Should teachers drill multiplication facts or encourage creative strategies to solve problems? The answer, especially among educators, is constantly evolving. https://phys.org/news/2025-08-qa-math-importance-memory-problem.html Mathematics Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:30:01 EDT news675429369 Humans beat generative AI models made by Google and OpenAI at a top international mathematics competition, despite the programs reaching gold-level scores for the first time. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-humans-ai-international-math-contest.html Mathematics Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:54:10 EDT news672389639 Twenty years ago, cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke took a strong position in an ongoing public debate. "There are no differences in overall intrinsic aptitude for science and mathematics among women and men," the researcher declared. A new paper in the journal Nature, written by Spelke and a team of European researchers, provides what she called "an even stronger basis for that argument." https://phys.org/news/2025-07-large-scale-mounting-case-notion.html Social Sciences Thu, 03 Jul 2025 13:09:14 EDT news670766949 Group work and giving students time to discuss their work helps to build their confidence in using math in science lessons, a new study shows. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-group-discussion-student-confidence-math.html Education Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:20:02 EDT news670687912 A painless, noninvasive brain stimulation technique can significantly improve how young adults learn math, my colleagues and I found in a recent study. In a paper in PLOS Biology, we describe how this might be most helpful for those who are likely to struggle with mathematical learning because of how their brain areas involved in this skill communicate with each other. https://phys.org/news/2025-07-electric-brain-math-skills.html Mathematics Wed, 02 Jul 2025 09:51:02 EDT news670668661 According to the first-ever survey fielded by RAND's new American Youth Panel (AYP), 49% of students in middle and high school grades reported losing interest in math about half or more of the time, and 75% of youths reported losing interest for at least some class time. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-disconnected-math-students-real-world.html Mathematics Tue, 17 Jun 2025 05:21:03 EDT news669356461 Using AI to analyze brain scans of students solving math problems, researchers offer the first-ever glimpse into the neural roots of math learning disabilities. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-digital-twins-reveal-math-disabilities.html Mathematics Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:50:01 EDT news668773093 It's an old joke that there are three kinds of people in the world: those who are good at math and those who aren't. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-math-anxiety.html Mathematics Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:27:04 EDT news668420821 Students' perceptions of their mathematical identity can provide insight into why some lose motivation or underperform in math. "The background of the research project MATHMot is that we know less about how motivation for math develops than about the development of math skills," says researcher Jelena Radišić. https://phys.org/news/2025-06-mathematical-identity-important-students.html Mathematics Tue, 03 Jun 2025 16:10:06 EDT news668185801 In a world shaped by biotechnology, why are so few college students exposed to its possibilities early on in their education? The Biotech Explorers Pathway (BEP) is changing that by immersing students in hands-on, real-world science from day one. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-era-biotech.html Biotechnology Fri, 23 May 2025 11:41:59 EDT news667219314 Mathematicians love the certainty of proofs. This is how they verify that their intuition matches observable truth. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-math-reveals-edge-ai.html Mathematics Tue, 06 May 2025 13:22:05 EDT news665756515 Ghana, like many sub-Saharan African countries, began investing substantially in free education three decades ago. This led to an increase in the number of children that attend primary school. But what has the impact been on learning outcomes? https://phys.org/news/2025-05-years-free-basic-ghana-card.html Education Mon, 05 May 2025 14:36:04 EDT news665674561 What's the best way for children to learn arithmetic—memorizing number values and multiplication tables, or studying math at a deeper, conceptual level? https://phys.org/news/2025-04-science-children-math.html Mathematics Tue, 29 Apr 2025 14:31:04 EDT news665155862 A new study from the University of Kansas explores the role of working memory in word problem-solving for students with and without math difficulties. Researchers found that using interventions to improve working memory can potentially benefit students who struggle with math. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-memory-students-math-difficulty-word.html Mathematics Mon, 21 Apr 2025 13:07:04 EDT news664459621 Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension and fear when dealing with numbers or performing calculations. It is a common form of academic anxiety: according to an OECD report, around 40% of students feel nervous, helpless or anxious in everyday situations involving mathematics, such as solving problems or doing math homework. https://phys.org/news/2025-04-parents-math-linked-children.html Mathematics Sat, 05 Apr 2025 07:00:01 EDT news662983090 American students have been falling behind in math for decades—with test scores that consistently rank in the bottom 25% globally compared to students in other developed countries—and the COVID-19 pandemic made the situation worse. https://phys.org/news/2025-03-megastudy-simple-boost-math.html Mathematics Mon, 24 Mar 2025 17:44:04 EDT news662057041 A game of chess requires its players to think several moves ahead, a skill that computer programs have mastered over the years. Back in 1996, an IBM supercomputer famously beat the then world chess champion Garry Kasparov. Later, in 2017, an artificial intelligence (AI) program developed by Google DeepMind, called AlphaZero, triumphed over the best computerized chess engines of the time after training itself to play the game in a matter of hours. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-ai-plays-game-decades-math.html Mathematics Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:22:55 EST news658599764 In India, many kids who work in retail markets have good math skills. They can quickly perform a range of calculations to complete transactions. But as a new study shows, these kids often perform much worse on the same kinds of problems as they are taught in the classroom. This happens even though many of these students still attend school or attended school through 7th or 8th grades. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-kids-math-skills-school-india.html Mathematics Wed, 05 Feb 2025 11:00:13 EST news657884076 New research findings reveal that parents' anxiety about mathematics can have a negative impact on their children's early numeracy skills, influencing their performance in the subject as they progress through school. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-parents-math-anxiety-linked-numeracy.html Mathematics Mon, 03 Feb 2025 15:36:04 EST news657819361