Math Concepts

A number line is a pictorial representation of real numbers. It is most commonly used in elementary math classes to help students compare numbers and perform arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, division and multiplication.

By Mitch Ryan

Mean, median, mode and sometimes range, are all different methods for finding probability distribution in statistics. Range can be a helpful yardstick when calculating data values that are close together, but it can quickly become confusing if there is a wide gap between the smallest value and the largest number.

By Mitch Ryan

As a child, when trying to come up with the biggest number possible, you might have said "infinity plus one." While technically infinity is the largest number because you cannot run out of numbers, the biggest numbers that we know of are still difficult to count but a bit more quantifiable.

By Yara Simón

Do you need to calculate the rate at which something changes over time? Whether it's the change in the x-value over the change in the y-value of a line on a graph, or the distance travelled by a car over the course of an hour-long drive, you'll need a rate of change formula.

By Sascha Bos

Physicists use the displacement formula to find an object's change in position. It sounds simple, but calculating displacement can quickly get complicated.

By Sascha Bos

Frequency is a fundamental concept when you're talking about waves, whether that means electromagnetic waves like radio waves and visible light, or mechanical vibrations like sound waves.

By Marie Look

The wavelength formula is a fundamental concept in physics, particularly in the study of waves and electromagnetic radiation.

By Yara Simón

In math, few skills are as practical as knowing how to do long division. It's the art of breaking down complex problems into manageable steps, making it an essential tool for students and adults alike.

By Desiree Bowie

We get it: You need help with the parabola equation because those graphs won't draw themselves. Here's how to draw a parabola from an equation.

By Yara Simón

Trying to figure out whether your research problem would benefit from qualitative vs. quantitative data? Learn about the differences and uses of each.

By Yara Simón

Distinguishing between discrete vs. continuous data and situations that call for each data type is important in ensuring you get your desired results.

By Marie Look

Whether you're a math whiz or not, there are some pretty cool number theories, beliefs and coincidences to appreciate. How down with digits are you?

By Alia Hoyt

The scutoid is kind of like the Higgs boson. Researchers theorized the new shape existed. And then they went looking for it.

A simple math problem may seem to some of us like an inscrutable pile of numbers and symbols, just waiting to trip us up. PEMDAS to the rescue!

By Mark Mancini & Desiree Bowie

You use the number zero all the time, but it may surprise you to learn that it sometimes isn't a number at all. It may surprise you even more to learn that it was all but invented. See what else surprises you about zero in this article.

By Josh Clark

Mathematics achieves the sublime. Sometimes, as with tessellations, it rises to art. In their simplest form, tessellations consist of a single shape that repeats over a two-dimensional plane without any gaps. Why was M.C. Escher so fixated on them?

By Nicholas Gerbis

Fractals have been around forever but were only defined in the last quarter of the 20th century. Think you can wrap your brain around how fractals work?

By Craig Haggit & Yara Simón

A world without math is unimaginable. It's a part of who we are. It's the analytical juice of our left brain. In the words of physicist Richard Feynman, even a fool can use it. So why do so many of us turn our backs on numbers?

By Robert Lamb

Whether the circle is as big as planet Mars or as small as a tennis ball, the ratio of its circumference divided by its diameter will always equal pi (3.14). But why?

By Marshall Brain, Dave Roos & Austin Henderson

For many of us, a number is just a number, a bit of information that tells you, say, what time it is. But mathematicians look at that same number and divine relationships that underlie nature itself. Ready to enter the trippy world of number theory?

By Robert Lamb

A unit circle is an important part of trigonometry and can define right angle relationships known as sine, cosine and tangent.

By Nokware Knight & Austin Henderson

A multiplication table is an easy-to-use grid of numbers that can help you learn to multiply quickly by using the chart and, eventually, your memory.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler & Austin Henderson

Sir Isaac Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation helps put the laws of gravity into a mathematical formula. And the gravitational constant is the "G" in that formula.

By Mark Mancini

Two mathematicians have solved a decades-old math problem by harnessing the power of a virtual supercomputer.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The Pythagorean theorem, which explains how to calculate the longest side of a right-angled triangle, is an ancient mathematical statement that still buttresses modern-day construction, aviation and even how we navigate through traffic.

By Patrick J. Kiger & Talon Homer