The Latest Breaking News from Mathematics

A shard of smooth bone etched with irregular marks dating back 20,000 years puzzled archaeologists until they noticed something unique – the etchings, lines like tally marks, may have represented prime numbers. Similarly, a clay tablet from 1800 B.C.E. inscribed with Babylonian numbers describes a number system built on prime…

Other lives: Educationist and teacher trainer whose enthusiasm for popularising mathematics led to the opening of the first maths discovery centre in the UK

Humans are finite creatures. Our brains have a finite number of neurons and we interact with a finite number of people during our finite lifetime. Yet humans have the remarkable ability to conceive of the infinite.

Humans started counting tens of thousands of years ago, but when did they begin figuring out advanced arithmetic, algebra and even calculus?

A recent study shows that teachers and the teaching strategies they utilize play a pivotal role in shaping their students' mathematics achievement.

Mathematics anxiety is a feeling of tension and fear when dealing with numbers or performing calculations. It is a common form of academic anxiety: according to an OECD report, around 40% of students feel nervous, helpless or anxious in everyday situations involving mathematics, such as solving problems or doing maths…

Letters: We shouldn’t frame girls outperforming boys as a crisis, writes Virginia Mendez, while Nick Hillman says we can tackle both the labour market challenges faced by women and the educational ones faced by men. Plus a letter from Kartar Uppal

Mathematics is an important subject in every child's education, but many kids find it difficult and stressful. What if there was a way to make math fun, simple, and fast? That’s where Vedic Maths comes in! Vedic Maths is an ancient system of mathematics that makes calculations quick and easy.…

On 19 November 1969, Pelé sparked wild celebrations with the 1,000th goal of his career – but it may have been scored five days earlier

Kenya’s education ministry announced in March 2025 that mathematics would be an optional subject in senior secondary school, which begins in grade 10. Most students in this grade are aged 15 years. The education minister said the mathematics taught from grade 4 to grade 9 was sufficient for foundational “numeracy…

The New Zealand government’s plan to purchase a standardised tool to assess reading, writing and mathematics for school children between Year 3 and 10 has caught parents, schools and education groups by surprise.