ARCHIVE:
Do The Math
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Is Powerball a Mug's Game?
It all depends on when you play—and what value you put on a dollar.
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Deadly Math
Is it right to say that the Norwegian terrorist attack was proportionally worse than 9/11?
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The Mathematics of Narcissism
The common statistical thread between psychiatric diagnosis and grad school rankings.
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Is the Mega Millions Lottery a Mug's Game?
It all depends on when you play—and what value you put on a dollar.
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13 Stripes and 51 Stars
A mathematician figures out the best way to jam an extra star onto the American flag. Plus: Generate patterns for every possible flag up to 100 stars.
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Guilt by Calculation
It takes more than an Excel sheet to prove the Iranian election was fixed.
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We're Down $700 Billion. Let's Go Double or Nothing!
How the financial markets fell for a 400-year-old sucker bet.
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Will the Democrats Flip the House?
Slate's mathematician on the odds of a Democratic victory.
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Does Gödel Matter?
The romantic's favorite mathematician didn't prove what you think he did.
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Building a Better World Series
Why the Fall Classic isn't the best way to find the best team in baseball.
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Game Theory for Swingers
What states should the candidates visit before Election Day?
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Love by the Numbers
Can a few differential equations describe the course of a marriage?
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Don't Worry About Grade Inflation
Why it doesn't matter that professors give out so many A's.
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Blinded by Science
Explaining the media's obsession with Stephen Wolfram's A New Kind of Science.
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Algebra for Adulterers
What every philandering politician and traveling salesman should know about the odds of getting caught.
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Barry Bonds and the Placebo Effect
Why Bonds won't break the homer record and the placebo effect might be bunk.
