Second-Grade Girls Already Bailing on Math

Perceived differences a matter of culture, not biology: study

(NEWSER) - Cross another stereotype off the list: Any differences between men's and women's math abilities are cultural, not innate, a study finds. Studies that have suggested such differences covered too few countries to give an accurate picture, researchers say. The new study, however, reviewed math scores across 86 countries, with a better representation of non-Western societies, reports the Daily Mail . "We found that boys—as well as girls—tend to do better in maths when raised in countries where females have better equality, and that's new and important," says one researcher. More»

(NEWSER) - Researchers have discovered that gum-chewing students perform better at math, the Los Angeles Times reports. A study, sponsored by the Wrigley Science Institute, showed that young scholars who chomped on gum while attending math class, doing homework, and taking tests score 3% higher on tests after 14 weeks. Teachers found the chewers more attentive and quieter. More»

Breaks own previous record of 5T digits

(NEWSER) - A Japanese man used his homemade computer to calculate the value of pi to 10 trillion digits, breaking the 5-trillion-digit record he himself set last August . Systems engineer Shigeru Kondo, 56, started crunching the numbers on a computer using a 48-terabyte hard drive in October and finished Sunday, the Telegraph reports, citing Kyodo News. He will apply to the Guinness Book of Records. More»

Using a new constant would simplify things, say experts

(NEWSER) - You don't need to be a mathematician to appreciate pi: Children everywhere can tell you it's 3.14, and it's even celebrated on 3-14. But now experts are arguing that pi, which references the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, be replaced with a new constant known as tau, the Daily Mail reports. Not because pi is wrong, per se—its value is still correct—but because it is the wrong figure to associate with a circle's properties. More»

Most governors are on board, but some complain about federal role

(AP) - Math and English instruction in the United States moved a step closer to uniform—and more rigorous—standards today, as draft national guidelines were released. Supporters of the project led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers hope the lists of things kids should learn at each grade level will replace a patchwork of systems across the country. More»