Mathematics

Reflections on decade of open sharing: A new generation of web resourcesMathematics professor Gilbert Strang looks back at OCW 10 years later.

How wise are crowds?By melding economics and engineering, researchers show that as social networks get larger, they usually get better at sorting fact from fiction.

The surprising physics of cats’ drinkingA new study reveals that even the way cats lap up liquid displays the perfect balance for which they’re known.

7 win presidential early career honorsMIT has greatest number of recipients from a single institution.

A decade of OCW benefits: Drawing talent to MITOpenCourseWare gives student confidence that he can work at the MIT level.

Can fluid dynamics offer insights into quantum mechanics?Experiments in which fluid droplets mimic the odd behavior of subatomic particles recall an abandoned interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Galileo revisited: How ribbons rollIn a twist on a classic experiment, MIT researchers discover how flexible cylinders behave when rolling down a slope.

Unraveling the MatrixA new way of analyzing grids of numbers known as matrices could improve signal-processing applications and data-compression schemes.

Bursting a bubble?A generally accepted theory explaining the frequent eruptions at Italy’s Stromboli volcano is called into question by new research.

Math’s Mrowka wins Guggenheim

Rivest wins faculty’s Killian AwardMIT encryption pioneer recognized for ‘extraordinary’ contributions in computer science

Explained: Monte Carlo simulationsMathematical technique lets scientists make estimates in a probabilistic world

Mysterious quantum forces unraveledMIT researchers find a way to calculate the effects of Casimir forces, offering a way to keep micromachines’ parts from sticking together.

A mathematician takes his field to accountUniversity of Arizona professor William Yslas Vélez speaks about minorities in math

Three from MIT win Gates scholarships

Rough calculationsSanjoy Mahajan’s new book, Street-Fighting Mathematics, lays out practical tools for educated guessing and down-and-dirty problem-solving

MIT wins Putnam math competitionSeniors Qingchun Ren and Yufei Zhao finish in top five, helping MIT secure overall victory and end a four-year drought.

Explained: Regression analysisSure, it’s a ubiquitous tool of scientific research, but what exactly is a regression, and what is its use?

Explained: Linear and nonlinear systemsMuch scientific research across a range of disciplines tries to find linear approximations of nonlinear behaviors. But what does that mean?

Zipporah Levinson, Department of Mathematics’ ‘den mother,’ dies at age 93The wife of the late Institute Professor Norman Levinson opened her home to many of the department’s mathematicians

Senior wins Churchill scholarshipMaria Monks will pursue graduate studies in mathematics in Britain

Three professors win top national early-career honorsPresidential awards to Buehler, Dawson and Sheffield were presented this week at a White House ceremony

Supran works to light up the grid, one quantum dot at a time

Their infinite wisdomAn MIT historian of science uncovers the saga of the Russian scholars whose mysticism helped them redefine the concept of infinity

Two from MIT win Marshall ScholarshipsSeniors Tanya Goldhaber and Vinayak Muralidhar will pursue graduate studies in Britain beginning next year.

The math gapMIT economists find a new reason to think that environment, not innate ability, determines how well girls do in math class