This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American The more I learn about continued fractions, ...
The proof resolves a nearly 80-year-old problem known as the Duffin-Schaeffer conjecture. In doing so, it provides a final answer to a question that has preoccupied mathematicians since ancient times: ...
The ancient Greeks wondered when “irrational” numbers can be approximated by fractions. By proving the longstanding Duffin-Schaeffer conjecture, two mathematicians have provided a complete answer. The ...
Fractions are the basis for most higher-level mathematics. Students need to master the numerical values in earlier grades to tackle topics like algebra later. There’s only one hitch: Fractions can ...
Many children never master fractions. When asked whether 12/13 + 7/8 was closest to 1, 2, 19, or 21, only 24% of a nationally representative sample of more than 20,000 US 8th graders answered ...
Fractions and percentages are both different ways to represent a whole. Ratios compare two or more sizes or sets and show how they relate to each other. There are ways of converting ratios to ...
“Who would draw a picture to divide 2/3 by 3/4?” asked Marina Ratner, a professor emerita of mathematics at the University of California at Berkeley, in a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece.
Fractions are a foundational concept in mathematics, essential for understanding parts of a whole. Fractions help learn ratios, percentages, and algebra better. Dividing pizza is a practical example ...