Closing a road can reduce traffic. And there’s a mathematical explanation for why “It really is a paradox, because it seems completely contradictory,” says mathematics professor Helge Holden.
Pupils’ skills no better after more math and science classes Pupils in Denmark receive more mathematics instruction than their Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish counterparts. Yet they still do worse in the subject than Norwegian and Finnish students.
A mathematician in the operating room Mathematician Mathias Barra looks at hospitals as if they are health factories. His goal is to find the safest, most efficient way to organize surgery and the use of shared resources.
Math teachers need to understand how pupils think In order to improve the teaching of mathematics, it is essential that teachers understand how the pupils think when they solve a problem. Insights from research can help.
“Mathematics can be more exquisite than poetry” “Because sometimes it yields totally unpredictable answers,” says Yakov Sinai. The Russian mathematician has been awarded this year’s Abel Prize – often referred to as the Nobel Prize for mathematics.
An elusive formula would devastate chess There is a formula or recipe that would ensure the white pieces, which make the first move in chess games, never lose. No one has found it yet. But do we really want to?
How to see through rock It’s costly to drill deep into the ground for thermal energy. So you may want to know what’s going on down there. Mathematicians can help.
Wanted: Artistic mathematicians Apple is the successful convergence of tough mathematics and consumer empathy. Researcher fears the consequences of artistic souls turning their backs on math.
Practical math in primary schools Experts disagree about the need for using practical activities to teach mathematics in Norwegian primary schools.