Mathematics students often encounter confusion when distinguishing between rational and irrational numbers. However, mastering this fundamental concept becomes straightforward once you understand the ...

When my students grow too dependent on their calculators, I ask them to find a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives them 2. Students quickly see that since 1² = 1 and 2² = 4, the answer has ...

When you hear the words "rational" and "irrational," they might bring to mind the relentlessly analytical Spock in "Star Trek." If you're a mathematician, however, you probably think of ratios between ...

In a previous post, we considered three of seven "irrational" habits of highly rational people. Here we consider the remaining four, as well as some suggestions for distinguishing the genuinely ...

FOR believers in rationality, the modern world is often a frustrating and bewildering place. Despite the many and manifest successes of science, it seems ever harder to penetrate the fog of ...