The metric system is growing. Here’s what you need to know
Meet the metric system’s newest prefixes: ronna-, quetta-, ronto- and quecto-. Adopted November 18 at the 27th General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles,…
Category: Math
Huijia Lin proved that a master tool of cryptography is possible
A long-sought “holy grail” in cryptography is poised to change the way we protect sensitive information. Today’s standard encryption schemes take an all-or-nothing approach. Once…
Quantum physics requires imaginary numbers to explain reality
Imaginary numbers might seem like unicorns and goblins — interesting but irrelevant to reality. But for describing matter at its roots, imaginary numbers turn out…
Researchers have unlocked the secret to pearls’ incredible symmetry
For centuries, researchers have puzzled over how oysters grow stunningly symmetrical, perfectly round pearls around irregularly shaped grains of sand or bits of debris. Now…
How one physicist is unraveling the mathematics of knitting
Physicist Elisabetta Matsumoto is an avid knitter and has been since taking up the hobby as a child. During graduate school at the University of…
Readers have questions about Parkinson’s disease, moth wings and more
Gut connection Abnormal proteins tied to Parkinson’s disease may form in the gut before traveling through the body’s nervous system to the brain, Laura Beil…
The kilogram just got a revamp. A unit of time might be next
The new kilogram has finally arrived. Updates to scientists’ system of measurement went into force May 20, redefining the kilogram and several other units in…
A mathematician traces his journey from poverty to prominence
The Shape of a LifeShing-Tung Yau and Steve NadisYale Univ., $28 One of the first remarkable things that mathematician Shing-Tung Yau reveals in his memoir,…
Mathematicians may have found the fastest way to multiply huge numbers
Multiplying 2 x 2 is easy. But multiplying two numbers with more than a billion digits each — that takes some serious computation. The multiplication…
Photons reveal a weird effect called the quantum pigeonhole paradox
Quantum pigeons don’t like to share. In keeping with a mathematical concept known as the pigeonhole principle, roosting pigeons have to cram together if there…
Mathematicians report possible progress on proving the Riemann hypothesis
Researchers have made what might be new headway toward a proof of the Riemann hypothesis, one of the most impenetrable problems in mathematics. The hypothesis,…
A new book shows how not to fall for dubious statistics
The Art of Statistics David SpiegelhalterBasic Books, $32 There are, as the saying goes, three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. David Spiegelhalter…
How Julia Robinson helped define the limits of mathematical knowledge
Every December 8 for years, Julia Robinson blew out the candles on her birthday cake and made the same wish: that someday she would know…
Why Rembrandt and da Vinci may have painted themselves with skewed eyes
A strongly dominant eye, not an eye disorder, may explain why Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt van Rijn painted themselves with misaligned eyes. Previous research…
NASA icon Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101
An inspirational “Hidden Figure” and a key player in sending the first humans to the moon, mathematician Katherine Johnson died February 24 at the age…
How a quantum technique highlights math’s mysterious link to physics
It has long been a mystery why pure math can reveal so much about the nature of the physical world. Antimatter was discovered in Paul…
A quantum strategy could verify the solutions to unsolvable problems — in theory
Computer scientists’ daydreams have revealed the power of quantum mechanics. Imagine meeting omniscient beings who claim to have the solution to a complex problem that…
Color-changing fibers help reveal mysteries of how knots work
Deciding whether a knot is fit to be tied just got a bit more scientific. Some knots are stronger than others, but scientists have struggled…
To cook a perfect steak, use math
Hala Nelson and her colleagues wanted to cook the perfect steak. So they decided to use math. The researchers created a mathematical simulation of a…
The U.S. has resisted the metric system for more than 50 years
Ten years to metric, Science News, April 4, 1970 – Australia is taking its first brisk steps toward conversion to a fully metric system of…
How large a gathering is too large during the coronavirus pandemic?
A question has perplexed public officials trying to curb the COVID-19 pandemic: How large of a group of people is too large? As the spread…
Calculating a dog’s age in human years is harder than you think
To estimate your dog’s age in human years, multiply the dog’s age by seven, right? Wrong. A more accurate conversion isn’t so easy to do…
A documentary and a Bollywood film highlight two disparate paths in mathematics
There’s no one way to be a mathematical genius. Shakuntala Devi had little formal education. Maryam Mirzakhani attended graduate school at Harvard University. Two films…
How next-gen computer generated maps detect partisan gerrymandering
In October 2019, a state court determined that North Carolina’s congressional districts had been severely gerrymandered and struck down the state’s map. The court’s ruling…