The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine. David Bessis was drawn to mathematics for the same reason that many people are driven away: He didn’t understand how it worked. Unlike ...

All equals are not created equal—mathematicians sometimes play fast and loose. In programming, equal signs mean different things, and variables have different types. Turning intuitive math expertise ...

Do mathematical skills that children acquire in the classroom transfer to real-world settings — and vice versa? Evidence from five large groups of children in India reveals that current school-based ...