A wildly simple new way to solve quadratic equations has been devised
In a recent article "A Simple Proof of the Quadratic Formula", professor Po-Shen Loh, provides a new proof of the quadratic formula, which also produces an easier and natural method for solving general quadratic equations that has the potential to demystify quadratic equations for students worldwide.
It's surprising how such an easier method remained almost entirely hidden for thousands of years, but if Loh's instincts are right, maths textbooks could be on the verge of a historic rewriting - and we don't take textbook-changing discoveries lightly.
Bees have brains for basic math, study finds
Researchers have found bees can do basic mathematics, in a discovery that expands our understanding of the relationship between brain size and brain power. Building on their finding that honeybees can understand the concept of zero, Australian and French researchers set out to test whether bees could perform arithmetic operations like addition and subtraction.
The revelation that even the miniature brain of a honeybee can grasp basic mathematical operations has implications for the future development of Artificial Intelligence, particularly in improving rapid learning.
Parents scared by children's maths homework
A fifth of parents with children aged 6-16 avoid their child's maths homework as working with numbers scares them, a survey has found. When they do give maths homework a go, 52 per cent of parents admit they get it wrong, while 17 per cent tell their children to ask their maths teacher for more help and do not get involved. Adding and subtracting without a calculator is a skill one-in-four parents say they would not be able to pass on.