When it comes to teaching mathematical concepts, abstract formulas may be more effective than the familiar examples of speeding trains and tossed coins favored by algebra instructors, according to a ...

You all know the score. A train leaves one city travelling at 35 miles per hour and another races toward it at 25 miles an hour from a city 60 miles away. How long do they take to meet in the middle?

Why is mathematics so complicated? It’s a question many students will ask while grappling with a particularly complex calculus problem — and their teachers will probably echo while setting or marking ...

A modern Red Riding Hood on her way to Grandma’s house can meander through the woods, or drive down the interstate, or even climb a mountain to come around the back way. All those routes will get her ...

Source: Slide 15 of a PowerPoint presentation, accompanying a June 2016 OECD report, “Equations and Inequalities.” Click here for a larger version. Abstract, pure math — solving disembodied equations ...

Math isn’t often thought of as a tool for social justice. But mathematical thinking can help us understand what’s going on in society too, says mathematician Eugenia Cheng. For example, abstract math ...