News

  1. Math

    Quirks of video poker

    Even with perfect play over a long time, unfavorable odds and limits on how much a gambler may win per machine make playing video poker into a losing game.

    By Ivars Peterson
  2. Math

    Reassessing an ancient artifact

    The famous Mesopotamian clay tablet known as Plimpton 322 represents an ordered list of worked examples that a teacher would use to prepare a sequence of closely related questions about squares and reciprocals for student exercises.

    By Ivars Peterson
  3. Health & Medicine

    Dietary stress may compromise bones

    Internal conflict about what and how much to eat not only induces production of a stress hormone but also may eventually weaken bones.