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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

Plants & Animals
Scientists find southern killer whales of the Pacific have access to enough food, deepening mystery of their struggles
Other
Saturday Citations: Brown dwarf actually brown dwarfs; the adaptability of ice-age humans; archaeologists excited
Optics & Photonics
All-optical switch device paves way for faster fiber-optic communication
Plants & Animals
Worms and snails handle the pressure 2,500m below the Pacific surface
Political science
Megastudy tests crowdsourced ideas for reducing political polarization
Earth Sciences
Could injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere help cool the planet?
Astronomy
First results from the Axion Dark-Matter Birefringent Cavity experiment establish a new technique for axion search
Environment
Global study reveals people, including those most affected by climate change, do not understand climate justice
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
Nanomaterials
New fabrication strategy enhances graphene aerogel sensitivity and durability for human-machine interfaces
Biochemistry
Team develops promising new form of antibiotic that makes bacterial cells self-destruct
Biochemistry
Lignin molecular property discovery could help turn trees into affordable, greener industrial chemicals
Nanophysics
Controlling sound waves with Klein tunneling improves acoustic signal filtration
Cell & Microbiology
Cellular senescence research identifies key enzyme to promote healthy aging
Plants & Animals
American lobster population and habitat preferences shifting, study finds
Cell & Microbiology
Scientists show how sperm and egg come together like a key in a lock
Earth Sciences
Scientists identify potential deep-ocean greenhouse gas storage solution
Analytical Chemistry
New strategy unlocks magnetic switching with hydrogen bonding at molecular level
Plants & Animals
Butterfly brains reveal the tweaks required for cognitive innovation

A brief history of minimal surfaces and the ants that love them

Consider a soap bubble. The way it contains the minimal possible surface area is surprisingly efficient. This is not a trivial issue. Mathematicians have been looking for better ways to calculate minimal surfaces for hundreds ...

When is a 'basin of attraction' like an octopus?

Mathematicians who study dynamical systems often focus on the rules of attraction. Namely, how does the choice of the starting point affect where a system ends up? Some systems are easier to describe than others. A swinging ...

Judging the gymnastics judges

A new statistical engine that can systematically pinpoint how accurately gymnastics judges apply required marking guidelines has been developed by researchers in Switzerland. The results are published in De Gruyter's Journal ...

Efficient light with the help of mathematics

How do you make sure that light gets to the right place without loss of energy? To do that, lamps often use mirrors and lenses. But how do you adjust them properly to get the correct light output? Lotte Romijn investigated ...

Physics meets democracy in this modeling study

A study in the journal Physica A leverages concepts from physics to model how campaign strategies influence the opinions of an electorate in a two-party system.

New mathematical tools to study opinion dynamics

Research published in the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics describes a new mathematical model for studying influence across social networks. Using tools from the field of topology, Robert Ghrist and Ph.D. graduate Jakob ...