Monthly Archives: November 2015

And For The Mathematician Who Has Everything

Posted on November 30, 2015 by annahaensch

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but as a mathematician, I’ve been on the receiving end of one too many well-intentioned protractor cases and Π-themed pie plates. And I’ll concede, if you are anything like me, it is likely a … Continue reading →

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How Math Can Help You Avoid Talking about Politics at the Holidays

Posted on November 23, 2015 by evelynjlamb

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m sure your wonderful family is the exception, but sometimes holiday dinner conversations can veer into unpleasant territory. If you don’t have Adele to bail you out, math blogs are here to help. (When your only tool is a … Continue reading →

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Meanwhile Over In Computer Science

Posted on November 16, 2015 by annahaensch

An algorithm has just been proposed for solving the graph isomorphism problem in quasipolynomial time, dealing a serious blow to hard problems all over the world. But let me first explain what all of those words mean. Graphs, you’ll recall, … Continue reading →

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Hot Hands and Tuesday’s Children

Posted on November 10, 2015 by evelynjlamb

People, especially sports fans, seem to believe that players can get “hot,” that they will hit more baskets (or succeed in whatever metric is of interest in their sport) more after a series of hits than after a series of … Continue reading →

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