# math

## Want to be better at math? Electric shocks could help

In a room at Oxford University in England, children between the ages of 8 and 10 are working on math problems on computers while being administered electric shocks by senior research fellow Roi Cohen Kadosh.

OK, they're not really getting shocked, but they are getting a steady stream of low-current electricity delivered to their brains.

The procedure they're undergoing is known as Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), and it's one of the most recent brain stimulation techniques to come about in a long history of electrical currents used to manipulate the brain. Unlike earlier electroshock treatment programs, which tended to placate people with mental disturbances, the goal of this work is to help people with learning disorders overcome their difficulties, and to help others learn better generally. … Read more

## Mathematicians find 177,147 ways to tie a necktie

The Windsor or the Half Windsor are the two most-used necktie knots, pretty much the standard for day-to-day school and business attire. Chances are, you are taught how to do it once, then forever continue to use the exact same method for the remainder of your life -- even though prior knowledge suggests you could mix it up a bit of you wanted.

In 1999, two mathematicians, Thomas Yink and Yong Mao, examined the actions involved in tying a necktie and calculated there were 85 different ways to do so. However, a new team of mathematicians has trumped their research. Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, along with a small team of mathematicians, found that Fink and Mao had left out some possibilities. … Read more

## 'Math Bites' show with Danica McKellar makes numbers hip

While many fans know Danica McKellar from her role as Winnie Cooper on "The Wonder Years," she also happens to be a best-selling author of the educational books "Math Doesn't Suck," "Kiss My Math," "Hot X: Algebra Exposed," and "Girls Get Curves," geared toward girls to make math more exciting.

She got the brains to back up the books, considering she's a summa cum laude graduate of UCLA with a degree in mathematics. She's also the co-author of a groundbreaking mathematical physics theorem -- the Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem.

So if anyone deserves to host a whimsical math show on YouYube's Nerdist Channel, it's her. The show "Math Bites" airs on Thursdays and explores everything from learning how to do math in your head to understanding binary numbers and percents.Read more

Math Game for Smart Kids isn't terribly complex or interesting for adults, but it's a fine tutoring tool for younger kids. They may tire quickly of its repetitive style and low level of difficultly, but they will probably learn something on the way there. That will beat out other, less educational games in parents' eyes.

Math Game for Smart Kids shows off an adorable panda that asks a series of 25 math questions each round. Each set of questions involves basic arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) and scale from single to triple digit number problems. The game … Read more

In fact, I'd say it's harder than math.

With math, you have machines that can do it all for you. You just have to punch in the numbers, press enter, and the answer comes out.

Which is why it's a touch unfortunate that a new billboard for Microsoft's Surface 2 seems to have miscalculated, despite using Excel.

As Apple Insider reports, the ad shows a budget plan for a Hawaii vacation.

The numbers, as presented by Apple Insider, are these: AirFare, $2,500. Hotel,$4,000. Car, $500. Food,$1,500. … Read more

## Review: Learn math basics with Talking Math's flashcards and spoken answers

Use flashcards to teach your kids math with Talking Math, a utilitarian educational tool that speaks the answer aloud to the math problems it presents. While it's not the most polished of programs, it works well and there are a few options for how to use the flashcards. And even though it's free, you won't be hit with any ads.

Talking Math takes up the whole screen when you launch it, although a huge strip of black outlines the actual interface. A flashcard appears automatically on the screen, with a prompt to click it to begin. You … Read more

## Google subtracts MathML from Chrome, and anger multiplies

MathML, a years-old technology for displaying mathematical equations and formulas on the Web that has strong advocates at scholars and researchers, stands at a crossroads.

Firefox and Safari support it, but Internet Explorer does not. Google could help tip the balance in favor of MathML, but it's concluded the technology isn't justified. It's supporting a workaround called MathJax that instead uses JavaScript, the Web's programming language, but the company's position has displeased some who want mathematics to be a native citizen of the Web, not a slower-performing outsider.

## Review: Math Practice for Mac challenges you to solve equations

Math Practice for Mac asks you challenging questions covering several math disciplines, including addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and roman numerals, helping you practice your math skills in a fun way. However, a more attractive interface and the addition of a competitive element would really make this app shine.

While intuitive, Math Practice's interface isn't that exciting when it comes to its looks. You begin by selecting the math skill you want to work on and then choose from three levels of difficulty. The app then throws math questions back at you. One annoying thing about it … Read more

## God exists, say Apple fanboy scientists

I struggle with theories. They so rarely work out in practice. And though teachers tried to force-feed theories, theorems, and theologies down my throat when I was impressionable, these days nothing gets through.

Two Apple aficionados, however, decided to take on the Big Banging Theory -- whether God exists -- and claim they now have proof.

My irregular reading of Der Spiegel brought me to the news that all it took was the help of one MacBook and one early 20th century theorem. (Thank you, TechEye, for sending me there.)

The theorem belongs originally to Anselm of Canterbury and was taken on by Austrian mathematician Kurt Godel. It goes like this: "God, by definition, is that for which no greater can be conceived. God exists in the understanding. If God exists in the understanding, we could imagine Him to be greater by existing in reality. Therefore, God must exist."… Read more

## Mathematician works out formula for perfect pizza

You may think you know how to make a mean pizza pie. You stretch out the dough and eyeball the toppings, but you're still operating in the realm of guesswork. To turn out a truly fine pizza, you need cold, hard math to back you up. You need Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician with the University of Sheffield in the UK.

Cheng turned her considerable skills toward the noble pursuit of figuring out a formula for creating the perfect pizza. She shares her results in a paper titled "On the perfect size for a pizza (PDF)." Go check it out for all the juicy mathematical details.… Read more