Mathematicians are excited about a new discovery: a 13-sided shape called "the hat". Lots of copies of the shape can be used to cover a flat surface without ever overlapping or leaving any gaps. Importantly, the patterns made with the hat never repeat.
Posts tagged as “math”
In the past, scientists have shown that bees have some surprising math skills. Now, new research shows that bees can even be trained to tell the difference between odd and even numbers. Before this, humans were the only animals known to have this ability.
Today, March 14 (3/14) is Pi Day - a celebration of the number pi which is equal to about 3.14. Pi is a special number that describes the connection between the distance around a circle and the distance across it.
In today's news roundup, US President Donald Trump visits India, longtime president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak dies, and today, February 29, is leap day - the extra day that only comes around once every four years (or so).
The Bank of England says it will honor Alan Turing on a new 50-pound banknote. Mr. Turing, a math genius and secret hero of World War II, was mistreated by England near the end of his life.
For the first time ever, the Abel Prize - one of the world's top prizes for mathematics - has been won by a woman. Karen Uhlenbeck won this year's prize for her work, which has affected both math and science.
For years Katherine Johnson worked at NASA, doing math that saved lives. It took a long time for her work to get much attention. Now NASA has named two buildings for her.