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Want to solve a complex problem? Applied math can help

You can probably think of a time when you've used math to solve an everyday problem, such as calculating a tip at a restaurant or determining the square footage of a room. But what role does math play in solving complex problems ...

Soft cells: Rounded tile shapes echo those found in nature

Tiles that fill two- and three-dimensional spaces with no gaps—including triangles, squares, hexagons, cubes, and other polyhedra—are typically designed with sharp corners and flat faces (straight edges).

Mathematicians model a puzzling breakdown in cooperative behavior

Darwin was puzzled by cooperation in nature—it ran directly against natural selection and the notion of survival of the fittest. But over the past decades, evolutionary mathematicians have used game theory to better understand ...

Mathematicians debunk GPS assumptions to offer improvements

The summer holidays are ending, which for many concludes with a long drive home and reliance on GPS devices to get safely home. But every now and then, GPS devices can suggest strange directions or get briefly confused about ...

Generalized splitting-ring number theoretic transform

Number theoretic transform (NTT) is widely recognized as the most efficient method for computing polynomial multiplication with high dimension and integral coefficients, due to its quasilinear complexity.

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Mathematics
Those with the biggest biases choose first, according to new math study
Mathematics
Study uses topological data analysis to identify voting deserts
Mathematics
Real equity in math education is about more than good grades and test scores
Mathematics
Mathematical method for spectral density estimation set to unlock ocean mysteries
Mathematics
Losing count: The mathematical magic of counting curves
Mathematics
Stress testing pension funds—researchers present technique based on hidden Markov regime switching model
Mathematics
Merging AI and human efforts to tackle complex mathematical problems
Mathematics
New mathematical proof helps to solve equations with random components
Mathematics
Why expanding access to algebra is a matter of civil rights
Mathematics
Study finds cooperation can still evolve even with limited payoff memory
Mathematics
Students' awareness of their cognitive processes facilitates the learning of math, finds study
Mathematics
New research disproves a long-held 'cognitive illusion' that hockey goaltenders improve under pressure
Mathematics
Study shows the power of social connections to predict hit songs
Mathematics
Wire-cut forensic examinations currently too unreliable for court, new study says
Mathematics
People underestimate the probability of including at least one minority member in a group, research suggests
Mathematics
How can we make good decisions by observing others? A videogame and computational model have the answer
Mathematics
Decision-making analysis for a new variant of the classical secretary problem
Mathematics
Data scientists aim to improve humanitarian support for displaced populations
Mathematics
How science, math, and tech can propel swimmers to new heights
Mathematics
A surprising result for a group's optimal path to cooperation

Other news

Political science
Megastudy tests crowdsourced ideas for reducing political polarization
Earth Sciences
Could injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere help cool the planet?
Plants & Animals
Bumblebee queens choose to hibernate in pesticide-contaminated soil, scientists discover
Astronomy
Physicists show that neutron stars may be shrouded in clouds of axions
Nanophysics
Controlling sound waves with Klein tunneling improves acoustic signal filtration
Cell & Microbiology
Cellular senescence research identifies key enzyme to promote healthy aging
Biochemistry
Lignin molecular property discovery could help turn trees into affordable, greener industrial chemicals
Plants & Animals
American lobster population and habitat preferences shifting, study finds
Biochemistry
Team develops promising new form of antibiotic that makes bacterial cells self-destruct
Analytical Chemistry
New strategy unlocks magnetic switching with hydrogen bonding at molecular level
Analytical Chemistry
Leveraging skyscraper architecture: New design enhances porosity and structural stability for metal-organic frameworks
Plants & Animals
Butterfly brains reveal the tweaks required for cognitive innovation
Cell & Microbiology
Uncovering new regulatory mechanisms in embryo implantation
Earth Sciences
Scientists identify potential deep-ocean greenhouse gas storage solution
Earth Sciences
Scientists untangle the challenging complexities of radiocarbon in ice cores
Cell & Microbiology
Team achieves successful reproduction of hematopoietic stem cell developmental process in an in vitro culture system
Condensed Matter
Key role of structural defects in amorphous solid deformation uncovered
Cell & Microbiology
Single-molecule imaging reveals aberrant DNA-binding dynamics of cancer-linked chromatin remodelers
Biotechnology
Molecular 'cut and sew' process could accelerate drug design
Astronomy
First results from the Axion Dark-Matter Birefringent Cavity experiment establish a new technique for axion search

Studying complex criminal networks with new statistical tools

The word "network" has become part of our everyday language, in particular since the rise of online social networks. However, human interactions are not only aimed at sociability and fun. Criminals also interact with each ...

Perturbing the Bernoulli shift map in binary systems

Is it possible for a deterministic system to be unpredictable? Although counter-intuitive, the answer is yes. Such systems are called "chaotic systems," which are characterized by sensitive dependence on initial conditions ...

Mathematicians explain how some fireflies flash in sync

Stake out in Pennsylvania's Cook State Forest at the right time of year and you can see one of nature's great light shows: swarms of fireflies that synchronize their flashes like strings of Christmas lights in the dark.