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Quantum statistical approach quiets big, noisy data

Big data has gotten too big. Now, a research team with statisticians from Cornell has developed a data representation method inspired by quantum mechanics that handles large data sets more efficiently than traditional methods ...

Megastudy finds a simple way to boost math progress

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 ...

Dudeney's 120-year-old dissection puzzle solution proves optimal

In 1907, the English author and mathematician Henry Ernest Dudeney posed a puzzle: Can any equilateral triangle be cut into as few pieces as possible that will fit together to form a perfect square? Four weeks later, he presented ...

Nessie loves a sunny summer's day—how anecdotes become data

New research from the University of St Andrews has used a database of Loch Ness Monster reports to translate anecdotes into data, shedding light on statistical biases and the importance of defining the right information for ...

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Mathematics
Mathematicians introduce crossing matrices to decode doubly periodic weaves
Mathematics
Model suggests voter turnout alone can predict election victory margins
Mathematics
AI program plays the long game to solve decades-old math problems
Mathematics
Can math save content creators? A new model proposes fairer revenue distribution methods for streaming services
Mathematics
Scientists analyze branch patterns in trees and art, from da Vinci to Mondrian
Mathematics
Risk it or kick it? Research analyzes NFL coaches' risk tolerance on fourth down
Mathematics
The butterfly effect: This obscure mathematical concept has become an everyday idea, but do we have it all wrong?
Mathematics
Spanish 'running of the bulls' festival reveals crowd movements can be predictable, above a certain density
Mathematics
Kids use different math skills at work vs. school, India study shows
Mathematics
Barbecue grill approach helps researchers understand puzzling Rayleigh–Bloch waves
Mathematics
Parents' math anxiety linked to lower numeracy skills in children
Mathematics
Scientists map the mathematics behind how we create and innovate
Mathematics
Simple mathematical model predicts development of cultural structures observed in human societies
Mathematics
Art analysis: 2D multifractal tools examine Jackson Pollock's expressionism
Mathematics
Mathematical technique 'opens the black box' of AI decision-making
Mathematics
English children lag behind in geometry, but parents can help them learn through play
Mathematics
Mathematicians develop new method to forecast natural phenomena and detect early cancer development
Mathematics
Historian explains how economics research stumbled under Soviet regime, while mathematics thrived
Mathematics
How does a hula hoop master gravity? Mathematicians prove that body shape matters
Mathematics
Researcher calculates Santa's speed on Christmas Eve—and this is what it would do to Rudolph's nose

Other news

Planetary Sciences
Perseverance rover witnesses one Martian dust devil eating another
Cell & Microbiology
Marine microbes reveal new gene clusters for hydrogen production
Bio & Medicine
Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for a one-two knockout punch
Plants & Animals
Prey size plays surprising role in competition among wolves, bears and cougars
Optics & Photonics
Infrared heavy-metal-free quantum dots deliver sensitive and fast sensors for eye-safe LIDAR applications
Molecular & Computational biology
The fungal circadian clock: A potential target for combating plant diseases
Analytical Chemistry
Common catalyst works by cycling between two different forms, upending a long-held supposition
Cell & Microbiology
Firefly light gives rise to sensor that detects cellular alterations
Space Exploration
Rising odds asteroid that briefly threatened Earth will hit moon
Plants & Animals
Bonobos combine calls in similar ways to human language, study finds
Evolution
Molecular clock analysis shows bacteria used oxygen long before widespread photosynthesis
Plants & Animals
Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity
Biotechnology
Fluorescent biosensor tracks plant RNA in real time for better crops and biosecurity
Plants & Animals
Some insects are declining, but what's happening to the other 99%?
Cell & Microbiology
Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time, study shows
Cell & Microbiology
Stem cell barcoding reveals how the brain and inner ear are formed
Cell & Microbiology
Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed, offering new therapeutic options
Archaeology
Climate change and prehistoric human populations: Study finds eastward shift of settlement areas at end of last Ice Age
Condensed Matter
Physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves
General Physics
Intriguing excess of top-quark pairs hints at discovery of smallest composite particle

Exploring how community-based social norms evolve

Cooperation is a guiding principle of everyday life. It's as simple as following the rules of the road when driving or holding a door for a stranger; cooperation is a fundamental aspect of human societies and has long intrigued ...

Researchers develop online hate speech 'shockwave' formula

A George Washington University research team has created a novel formula that demonstrates how, why, and when hate speech spreads throughout social media. The researchers put forth a first-principles dynamical theory that ...

Implications of no-free-lunch theorems

In the 18th century, the philosopher David Hume observed that induction—inferring the future based on what's happened in the past—can never be reliable. In 1997, SFI Professor David Wolpert with his colleague Bill Macready ...

Exploring 'compellingness' in mechanism design

Consider an auction. You have two types of main protagonists or agents: a seller (or auctioneer) and many potential buyers. There are, of course, certain ground rules. For instance, one objective may be to design the auction ...

Machine learning model analyzes why couples break up

What does artificial intelligence offer that goes beyond traditional statistical models, such as regression analysis, to investigate the behavior of households, in particular the factors that cause the separation of couples ...

Human crowds are best modeled by a 'visual neighborhood'

Human crowd dynamics are best predicted by a visual neighborhood model, based on the visual fields of each person in the crowd. Birds flock, fish school, and human crowds, too, move in a collective motion pattern. Understanding ...

Debunking the Dunning–Kruger effect

John Cleese, the British comedian, once summed up the idea of the Dunning–Kruger effect as, "If you are really, really stupid, then it's impossible for you to know you are really, really stupid." A quick search of the news ...

Gaining a deeper understanding of how we connect

Homophily is the notion that humans tend to preferentially interact and connect with individuals who are like them in some way. In other words, it's the idea that "birds of a feather flock together." While traditional research ...

Using math to map social connections

Imagine being able to predict how a group of people will behave before they even know it themselves. From the dynamics of a sports team to the complexities of a nation, the ability to anticipate human interactions has long ...

Statistical physics reveals how languages evolve

Models based on the principles of statistical physics can provide useful insights into how languages change through contact between speakers of different languages. In particular, the analysis reveals how unusual linguistic ...