Physics & Math, features and articles | Educational Science

Dec 19, 2013

The 12 Days of Pascal's Triangular Christmas (Op-Ed)

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. One of the most magical aspects of mathematics is the ability for complex and intricate structures to emerge from the simplest of rules. Few mathematical objects are simpler to create...

Dec 20, 2013

How History Shaped the Global Mathematician

This Behind the Scenes article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation. Nothing seems more universal than the truths of mathematics. It should not matter, most believe, where they are expounded and by whom. Mathematics today is the ultimate portable discipline, unconstrained by time, place, nation...

Jan 15, 2014

Real Numbers: Properties and Definition

Real numbers are, in fact, pretty much any number that you can think of. This can include whole numbers or integers, fractions, rational numbers and irrational numbers. Real numbers can be positive or negative, and include the number zero. They are called real numbers because they are not imaginary, which...

Jan 21, 2014

What Are Imaginary Numbers?

An imaginary number is a number that, when squared, has a negative result. Essentially, an imaginary number is the square root of a negative number and does not have a tangible value. While it is not a real number — that is, it cannot be quantified on the number line...

Jan 29, 2014

What Are Complex Numbers?

Complex numbers are numbers that consist of two parts — a real number and an imaginary number. Complex numbers are the building blocks of more intricate math, such as algebra. They can be applied to many aspects of real life, especially in electronics and electromagnetism. The standard format for complex...

Jan 30, 2014

What's the Universe Made Of? Math, Says Scientist

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Scientists have long used mathematics to describe the physical properties of the universe. But what if the universe itself is math? That's what cosmologist Max Tegmark believes. In Tegmark's view, everything in the universe — humans included — is part of a mathematical structure. All matter is...

Feb 18, 2014

After 400 Years, Mathematicians Find a New Class of Solid Shapes

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The work of the Greek polymath Plato has kept millions of people busy for millennia. A few among them have been mathematicians who have obsessed about Platonic solids, a...

Mar 14, 2014

Happy Pi Day! Fun Facts About Our Favorite Irrational Number

Math lovers celebrate today (3/14) as Pi Day, in honor of the irrational number pi. Pi, or π, is defined as the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi is an irrational number, meaning it cannot be written as a simple fraction. Instead, it can be...

Apr 18, 2014

Calculus Is Fun! Math Exhibit Demos Principles of Motion

NEW YORK — Most people probably don't think of learning calculus as fun. But a new interactive exhibit here at the Museum of Math (MoMath) lets visitors learn about the principles of motion in an interactive way, by walking or running on a special motion-sensing track. The Motion Scape exhibit,...

May 5, 2014

Gallery: Drawings of a Mathematical Savant

Illustration of pi (Image credit: Courtesy of Jason Padgett)Jason Padgett suffered an attack that gave him extraordinary mathematical abilities, a case of acquired savant syndrome. He created these drawings of how he sees reality. I drew circles out of 180 triangles, then 360, then 720. With a finer pencil, he...

May 5, 2014

A Beautiful Mind: Brain Injury Turns Man Into Math Genius

In 2002, two men savagely attacked Jason Padgett outside a karaoke bar, leaving him with a severe concussion and post-traumatic stress disorder. But the incident also turned Padgett into a mathematical genius who sees the world through the lens of geometry. Padgett, a furniture salesman from Tacoma, Washington, who had...

Jun 10, 2014

What Is a Proof?

A proof is a rigorous argument that shows a mathematical claim to be true. Mathematics is different from other fields of science because claims are held to a different standard. Using the scientific method, claims are tested in order to verify or debunk them. Any person can do rigorous experiments...

Aug 13, 2014

A Woman Finally Wins Top Math Prize 'Fields Medal'

For the first time in history, the Fields Medal — the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for mathematics — will be awarded to a woman. The award will go to Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian mathematician and professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Mirzakhani and three other mathematicians will be honored...

Mar 13, 2015

Pi, Anyone? The Secret to Memorizing Tens of Thousands of Digits

Every year, math enthusiasts celebrate Pi Day on March 14, because the date spells the first three digits (3.14) of pi, or π, the mathematical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. This year, the event is even more special because, for the first time...

Mar 14, 2015

Math Nerds Celebrate 'Pi Day of the Century' at SXSW Festival

AUSTIN, Texas — It's an event that comes around just once in a century. Math nerds and circle fans everywhere celebrated the Pi Day of the Century today, March 14, 2015, at 9:26 a.m. and 53 seconds. The date and time spelled the first 10 digits of pi: 3.141592653. Revelers...