Math
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Math
Beating the Bush for Patterns
Across some arid landscapes, sparse vegetation grows in fractal patterns that hold clues to its resilience.
- Math
The Essence of Group Conflict
Eruptions of open conflict between ethnic or religious groups have a lot to do with the way communities are geographically distributed.
- Math
Separate Is Never Equal
Economic forces alone can explain why social segregation leads to inequalities in wealth and achievement.
- Math
May the Best Team Win
In sports leagues and playoffs, the strongest teams often don't triumph, but redesigning the schedule of games can improve their chances.
- Math
Kidney Matchmaking
A mathematical optimization strategy for pairing patients who need kidneys with willing donors could increase the number and quality of transplants.
- Math
Calculating the Word Spurt
Mathematics, not brain development, explains why toddlers begin to pick up words quickly after a slow start.
- Math
Cracking the Cube
A combination of mathematical analysis and supercomputer number-crunching proves that any Rubik's Cube can be solved in 26 moves or fewer.
- Math
A Twist on the Möbius Band
The twisted, single-sided loop known as a Möbius band, when made from a stiff material such as paper, takes on a complicated shape that researchers have finally calculated.
- Math
Math as a Civil Right
A longtime activist in the civil rights movement now teaches that mathematical literacy is the key to full participation in the country's economy.
- Math
Mathematical Lives of Plants
Mathematical models that capture the essence of biological growth mechanisms are beginning to reveal how plants develop structures with intriguingly elegant geometries.
- Math
Free Choice + Punishment = Cooperation
In a computer simulation of a multi-player game, cheaters didn't prosper when other participants could choose not to play.
- Math
Sudoku and Graph Theory
Solving sudoku puzzles may not require mathematics, but mathematicians have found plenty to say about the popular brainteasers.
