On your mental number line, are the numbers smaller on the left or on the right? Two comparative cognition researchers explain how culture may influence the orientation – but also may not.
Articles on Numbers
Displaying 1 - 20 of 39 articles
A new collection of research papers examines how humans conceptualize numbers and the numeral systems we’ve build around them.
What do Sudoku, AI, Rubik’s cubes, clocks and molecules have in common? They can all be reimagined as algebraic equations.
Mathematicians once turned up their noses at imaginary numbers. But complex analysis actually simplifies math and physics.
A new largest known prime number was found last month by an amateur mathematician, continuing a millennia-long quest to understand hidden patterns in the infinite tapestry of numbers.
Here’s a game: Tell a friend to give you any number and you’ll return one that’s bigger. Just add ‘1’ to whatever number they come up with and you’re sure to win.
Findings of a study suggest using a ‘hundreds chart’ showing numbers one through 100, beginning with one in the top-left corner, fosters children’s counting by 10s.
After decades of hype, quantum computers are on the verge of becoming useful. Here’s a refresher on why they’re such a big deal
Humans have been making symbols for numbers for thousands of years. Different cultures developed their own symbols, but all use addition and multiplication, suggesting arithmetic is a universal truth.
How did the letter x get its enduring role as a symbol of the unknown? A mathematician explains why it’s hard to say for sure.
A sociologist unpacks how common superstitions like fear of 13 can gain steam.
If you cannot communicate a concept clearly, then you don’t understand it well enough yourself.
The brain can count small numbers or compare large ones. But it struggles to understand the value of a single large number. This fact may be influencing how people react to numbers about the pandemic.
Numerology ties in with how our brains work, but that doesn’t mean its claims make sense.
Everyone is raving about Adele’s new album ‘30.’ A mathematician muses about the “Adele sequence”: the patterns of numbers in her album name.
More than a century after publishing major papers in theoretical mathematics, German-born Emmy Noether continues to challenge and inspire mathematicians with her story and mathematical legacy.
Understanding numbers in the news or social media can empower you to figure out risks and make good choices. Here’s what to look out for to make sure you aren’t misled by COVID-19 coverage.
It’s awfully hard to wrap your mind around a sum that large. But converting it to a more bite-size representation can affect a voter’s willingness to support government spending.
Don’t just tell us how many new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, tell us how many people you tested as well. That helps us to know if things are getting better or worse.
A reduction in OSHA inspectors may lead to a reduction in workplace safety.
Top contributors
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Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy, Middlebury College
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Director, Center for Science Communication Research, University of Oregon
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Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of South Carolina
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Andrew Carnegie Fellow, Professor of Anthropology, University of Miami
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Professor of Elementary Mathematics, Queen's University, Ontario
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Professor of Mathematics, Western Michigan University
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Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement, University of Bath
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Senior lecturer, UNSW
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Associate Professor of Mathematics, College of the Holy Cross
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Professor of Mathematics, University of Florida
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Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, Western Michigan University
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Honorary Fellow, Space and Astronomy, CSIRO; Western Sydney University
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Professor of Mathematics, Harvey Mudd College
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Professor of Linguistics, Yale University
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Associate Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Human Development