Mathematics

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Mathematics is the science and study of quantity, structure, space, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns, formulate new conjectures, and establish truth by rigorous deduction from appropriately chosen axioms and definitions.

There is debate over whether mathematical objects such as numbers and points really exist or whether they are manmade. The mathematician Benjamin Peirce called mathematics "the science that draws necessary conclusions". Albert Einstein, on the other hand, stated that "as far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain; and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality."

Through the use of abstraction and logical reasoning, mathematics evolved from counting, calculation, measurement, and the systematic study of the shapes and motions of physical objects. Practical mathematics has been a human activity for as far back as written records go (see: History of Mathematics). Rigorous arguments first appeared in Greek mathematics, most notably in Euclid's Elements. Mathematics continued to develop, in fitful bursts, until the Renaissance, when mathematical innovations interacted with new scientific discoveries, leading to an acceleration in research that continues to the present day.

Today, mathematics is used throughout the world as an essential tool in many fields, including natural science, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences. Applied mathematics, the branch of mathematics concerned with application of mathematical knowledge to other fields, inspires and makes use of new mathematical discoveries and sometimes leads to the development of entirely new disciplines. Mathematicians also engage in pure mathematics, or mathematics for its own sake, without having any application in mind, although practical applications for what began as pure mathematics are often discovered later.

For more information about Mathematics, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with math

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The math gap

Economists find new reason to think that environment, not innate ability, determines how well girls do in math class

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Nov 04, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- When Glenn Ellison’s daughters started middle school in a Boston suburb in 2007, Ellison decided to become a volunteer coach of the school’s math team. While his squad was earning a place ...


An animated penguin boosts kids' math scores

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Oct 01, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 1

California's hottest new math teacher is an animated penguin named JiJi. Yes, it's true. A mute, waddling, tuxedo-clad cartoon figure has been quietly taking over math programs dotting Silicon Valley, dramatically improving ...


Socioeconomic Desegregation Alone Is Not Effective in Improving Classroom Performance

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Oct 01, 2009 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (4) | comments 0

Although past research has linked academic achievement gains to socioeconomic desegregation in schools, a new analysis reveals some hidden academic and psychological risks of integrating low-income students in schools with ...


Racial Segregation Fuels Early Black-White Achievement Gap, Data Suggest

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Oct 01, 2009 | popularity 2.6 / 5 (5) | comments 4

Racial segregation of schools, and thereby segregated neighborhoods, appears to be a leading source of academic achievement disparities between young black and white children, according to research by sociologist Dennis J. ...


High-quality child care leads to academic success for low-income kids

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Sep 15, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

For low income parents, finding high quality child care not only boosts the performance of their children in school, but actually combats the effects of poverty, according to a new study in the journal Child Development.


Results show math, science aren't out of reach

Other Sciences / Other

created Aug 26, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 2

The conflicting data coming out about schools can make your head swirl. Too few kids ready for college. Too few students mastering their subjects. Too many teens trailing their global peers in math and science.


aiko

Inventor Demonstrates Humanoid Robot's Latest AI Abilities (w/ Video)

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Aug 25, 2009 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (30) | comments 26

(PhysOrg.com) -- In August 2007, Le Trung invented Aiko, a Yumecom, or "Dream Computer Robot." Although it took only a month and a half to build Aiko's exterior, the artificial intelligence software has been ...


UQ researchers break the law -- of physics

UQ researchers break the law -- of physics

Physics / General Physics

created Jul 06, 2009 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (45) | comments 25

(PhysOrg.com) -- Two UQ Science researchers have proved two famous physical laws that have been widely used for the past 25 years do not always work.


Cooperative learning methods top list of effective approaches for secondary mathematics

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Jun 26, 2009 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Cooperative learning methods have been found to be most effective in raising the math scores of middle and high school students, according to a comprehensive research review by the Johns Hopkins University School of Education's ...


Scientists harness logic of 'Sudoku' math puzzle to vastly enhance genome-sequencing capability

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Jun 24, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 1

A math-based game that has taken the world by storm with its ability to delight and puzzle may now be poised to revolutionize the fast-changing world of genome sequencing and the field of medical genetics, suggests a new ...


Citizens in 34 countries show implicit bias linking males more than females with science

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Jun 22, 2009 | popularity 2.5 / 5 (4) | comments 0

thoughts that people may be unwilling to express or may not even know that they have - may have a powerful effect on gender equity in science and mathematics engagement and performance, according to a new study published ...


Better sleep is associated with improved academic success

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jun 10, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 1

Getting more high-quality sleep is associated with better academic performance. according to new research. The positive relationship is especially relevant to performance in math.


Traffic jams follow explosive pattern, says researcher

Traffic jams follow explosive pattern, says researcher (w/Video)

Technology / Computer Sciences

created Jun 05, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 2

(PhysOrg.com) -- Picture this next time you're stuck in traffic: Thousands of wildebeests loping across the Serengeti Plain when suddenly a few spooked animals turn the orderly migration into a sea of locked ...


Culture, not biology, underpins math gender gap

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Jun 01, 2009 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (11) | comments 5

For more than a century, the notion that females are innately less capable than males at doing mathematics, especially at the highest levels, has persisted in even the loftiest circles.


Kids with ADHD need to fidget, study says

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created May 26, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (11) | comments 10

If you've got a kid with ADHD, you've probably spent countless hours pleading with him to sit still. Well, stop it.