Images of Diwali 2020 from an ashram in India. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/diwali-moon-nov-2020-photos-swami-krishnananda…
Tag: math
Diverse Representation: Learner Impacts and Strategies in Online Courses
By: Ji Su Lee and Eli Fogle, Coursera Teaching and Learning team Many learners are new to online learning. It can be an isolating environment without the in-person opportunities to connect with the instructor and other learners. Creating an environment where learners can succeed includes many factors, and key among them is for students to […]
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AI Has Cracked a Key Mathematical Puzzle For Understanding Our World
An anonymous reader shares a report: Unless you’re a physicist or an engineer, there really isn’t much reason for you to know about partial differential equations. I know. After years of poring over them in undergrad while studying mechanical engineering, I’ve never used them since in the real world. But partial differential equations, or PDEs, are also kind of magical. They’re…
Bringing a power tool from math into quantum computing
The Fourier transform is an important mathematical tool that decomposes a function or dataset into a its constituent frequencies, much like one could decompose a musical chord into a combination of its notes. It is used across all fields of engineering in some form or another and, accordingly, algorithms to compute it efficiently have been developed—that is, at least for conventional…
Meet the Pi planet. It orbits its star every 3.14 days
In a fun cosmic coincidence, researchers used old Kepler spacecraft data to discover an Earth-sized exoplanet with an orbital period of 3.14 days, a number that matches the mathematical constant pi. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/pi-exoplanet-k2-315b-has-3-14-day-orbit…
ZDNet Argues Linux-Based Windows ‘Makes Perfect Sense’
Last week open-source advocate Eric S. Raymond argued Microsoft was quietly switching over to a Linux kernel that emulates Windows. “He’s on to something,” says ZDNet’s contributing editor Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols:
I’ve long thought that Microsoft was considering migrating the Windows interface to running on the Linux kernel. Why…? [Y]ou can run standard Linux programs now on WSL2 without any trouble. That’s…
Teenager on TiKTok Resurrects an Essential Question: What is Math?
Long-time Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot shares a story that all started with a high school student’s innocuous question on TikTok, leading academic mathematicians and philosophers to weigh in on “a very ancient and unresolved debate in the philosophy of science,” reports Smithsonian magazine. “What, exactly, is math?” Is it invented, or discovered? And are the things that mathematicians work with — numbers,…
Researchers Found the Manual For the World’s Oldest Surviving Computer
Researchers will be able to gain a deeper understanding of what’s considered the world’s oldest surviving (digital) computer after its long-lost user manual was unearthed. Engadget reports: The Z4, which was built in 1945, runs on tape, takes up most of a room and needs several people to operate it. The machine now takes residence at the Deutsches Museum in Munich,…
After 48 Years, Democrats Endorse Nuclear Energy In Platform
It took five decades, but the Democratic Party has finally changed its stance on nuclear energy. In its recently released party platform, the Democrats say they favor a “technology-neutral” approach that includes “all zero-carbon technologies, including hydroelectric power, geothermal, existing and advanced nuclear, and carbon capture and storage.” Robert Bryce writes via Forbes: That statement marks the first time since 1972…
Do STEM toys actually teach kids science and math?
Toys advertised as teaching STEM aren’t always proven, but these recommendations have science to back them up. Source: https://www.livescience.com/how-stem-toys-teach-math-science.html