Intelligence and IQ

I’m in the middle of writing a book on the personalities of genius, so I’ll answer this question using an excerpt from the chapter on Einstein in that book. Most of the anecdotes pertaining to Einstein’s absent-mindedness derive from his ability to focus so intently on a particular problem that he became entirely unaware of …

What role did humor play in Albert Einstein’s life and work, and are there other examples besides the driver story? Read More »

Actually, the most common error in understanding scientific or statistical information is conceptual rather than arithmetic. It’s the confusion between correlation and causation. Here is a real-life example in which educators (who should know better) made a colossal blunder. A few years ago, a school board discovered that there was a strong correlation between the …

In your experience, what is the most common arithmetic error people make when trying to understand scientific or statistical information? Read More »

There are many great mathematical concepts that are relevant to life, but it’s often difficult to help people understand why they are relevant. However, I have found that most people agree on the relevance of money, so I will provide one example that gets the attention of most people, and that is exponential growth. Einstein …

If you could introduce one core mathematical idea to someone who thinks math is irrelevant, what would it be and why? Read More »

Yogi Berra 1925–2015 First, some Brief Historical Reflections The concept of “genius” has evolved throughout the history of human inquiry. In the ancient world, intellectual brilliance was associated with the prominent philosophers, including Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, as well as mathematicians such as Thales and Archimedes. This trend to associate genius with philosophy and science …

Why do people often assume you’re smart if you’re a physics major, and how does that perception affect students? Read More »

A substantial level of subject knowledge is almost always necessary to make breakthroughs in a particular academic pursuit. However, there is a danger in being immersed in the current theories and ideas of a scientific community, that resemble the problems the emerge in groupthink. Discussions in a groupthink context are found to “homogenize” the ideas …

Does having deep levels of knowledge about a subject confer more potential for unconventional thinking and breakthrough ideas? Read More »

This is a particularly pertinent question in the current political climate when our society is strongly polarized toward the extremes. Why is Modern Society so Polarized? Polarization has been fostered by the media’s use of analytics to determine their demographic and distort information to please that select group. For example, FOX news caters to those …

In an era of widespread misinformation, what’s a simple, practical approach you use to maintain a rational perspective on complex issues? Read More »

Mathematics is arguably the most cognitively demanding of all mental disciplines, and those who develop their mathematical skills to a high level are well-positioned to succeed in most enterprises that require analytical thinking, prediction and unrelenting persistence. Why is this? The display below, taken from the book Intelligence, IQ & Perception shows the ten richest …

What crucial life skill does rigorous mathematics education teach beyond problem-solving? Read More »

Early in his life, John von Neumann was recognized as a child prodigy, who possessed an eidetic memory, and at age 6 displayed the ability to divide two eight-digit numbers in his head. When guests came to the von Neumann family dinners, they were often entertained with demonstrations of Johnny’s prodigious memory. They would randomly …

What did John von Neumann’s teachers and peers say about his skills in math and science, and how accurate were their assessments? Read More »

Participants in the International Mathematics Olympiads (IMO) represent the brightest of the bright. They have very high SAT scores, qualify for the best university programs, and have their pick of virtually any career they wish to pursue. Having these options, do they complete a Ph.D. in mathematics and enter academe or do they move in …

How do medalists from IMO, IPhO, and IOI typically leverage their achievements in their future academic or professional careers? Read More »