News about PaperPanda, Open Access, and Research
All routes to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degrees run through calculus classes. Each year, hundreds of thousands of college students take introductory calculus. But only a fraction ultimately complete a STEM degree, and research about why students abandon such degrees suggests that traditional calculus courses are one of the reasons. With scientific understanding and innovation … Read more
This Pi Day, as you’re enjoying your slice of pie, explore a bigger slice of mathematics. Most March 14 celebrations are obsessed with the number pi. If you think “obsessed” is too strong, take a look around: you’ll see things on sale for $3.14, Pi-K runs and, perhaps as in the past, a segment on … Read more
If you ever feel like you’re spinning in circles, the annual pi day is a great moment to remind yourself of the power of such thinking. NASA celebrates the famous mathematical ratio each year on March 14 (3/14), which is meant to represent the 3.14 constant that results when you divide a circle’s circumference by … Read more
A new organization called the Association for Mathematical Research (AMR) has ignited fierce debates in the math research and education communities since it was launched last October. Its stated mission is “to support mathematical research and scholarship”—a goal similar to that proclaimed by two long-standing groups: the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical Association … Read more
Nature is an unstoppable force, and a beautiful one at that. Everywhere you look, the natural world is laced with stunning patterns that can be described with mathematics. From bees to blood vessels, ferns to fangs, math can explain how such beauty emerges. Math is often described this way, as a language or a … Read more
Previous research has suggested that fish have an innate sense of numbers, but critics say these experiments aren’t the final word. Now, a new study has shown that archerfish really can count Life 24 December 2021 By Michael Le Page Archerfish spit water at their prey Shutterstock / Roberto Dani Can fish count? An experiment involving … Read more
A sleep technique described by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and famous inventor Thomas Edison might actually work to inspire creativity, researchers have found. To get the creativity boost, you essentially need to wake up just as a certain sleep stage sets in, where reality seems to blend into fantasy. To use the technique, visionaries … Read more