Statistics for the media – explained
How to avoid idiotic media polls, handily explained. (Poll statistics for the media, via Pharyngula)
Read the whole postMaths just got spooky!
Just in time for Hallowe’en, a spooky theme has been added to the Maths-Whizz bedroom! Students logging into our online math tutor this weekend until Tuesday will get a seasonal treat with a rolling pumpkin head, cobwebbed corners, and rolls of thunder beyond the window. Whizzers can get a fright with some of our witch-themed [...]
Read the whole postLearn Maths – land men on the moon
In case you’ve been hiding under a rock, it’s the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landings, and an opportunity to recall a tremendous feat of science, exploration and verve. The achievement has since inspired millions.
Read the whole postMichael Jackson – wonderful musician, bad mathematician…
I never realised I’d be able to shoehorn maths into possibly yesterday’s biggest news story – the sad and sudden death of Michael Jackson, the ‘King of Pop’ – but it’s incredible what you can dig up online. And so, for your collective mathematical edification, and in memory of Michael Jackson, a rather silly skit [...]
Read the whole postAlan, Marcus and Monty learn about probabilities
Humans find probability hard, and what we tend to think of as ‘commonsense’ is often defied by the maths. For proof of this, you need only look at the multi-billion-pound gambling industry. Bookmakers and casinos profit because we find it hard to evaluate odds and probabilities. I am reminded of an intelligent friend who couldn’t [...]
Read the whole postMaths for Bankers – Johnny Ball explains
A quick Monday maths refresher from Johnny Ball as he explains to the viewers of BBC news how to talk about, and write, large numbers. Followers of the banking and economic crises will now be well-acquainted with the kind of eye-wateringly large sums of money being lost, earned or moved around in the US and [...]
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