Mathematics

A Northridge teacher who honed her craft at Roscoe Elementary School in Sun Valley has received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Caroline Piangerelli, who splits her time between state and local programs aimed at improving mathematics instruction, received word this week that she was one of 214 teachers nationwide to receive the prestigious award. Established in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, the awards are given by the National Science Foundation.

In an address this month to a joint meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Assn. of America, U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley called for a cease-fire in the "math war" that has raged in California and school districts across the country.

National reading and math tests sought by President Clinton should be delayed until after his second term, an independent board ruled, denying Clinton a key item on his education agenda. It is up to Congress to decide whether the tests should be given at all. But if they are, the National Assessment Governing Board determined that they should be given no sooner than 2001.

More rigorous guidelines for students in grades K-5 were adopted by the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Trustees last week. The new CORE Mathematics Standards will introduce more challenging mathematical concepts earlier than in previously adopted standards, and emphasize algebra and geometry.

Vice President Al Gore is swamped by students at Dana Middle School in Hawthorne on Thursday. During a one-day visit to the Southland, he stopped at the school to unveil a new math program called "America Counts," aimed at helping children master the fundamentals of algebra and geometry by the eighth grade. Left, Gore leads a discussion with government and school officials.

Ever since Einstein, we've known that our universe contains at least one extra unseen dimension. Physicists explore the realm of higher dimensions in order to make sense of the world we live in. Mathematicians, however, don't worry whether the spaces they study are habitable--only that they are interesting. As it turns out, the third and fourth dimensions are the most mathematically interesting--and mysterious--of all.

Why is our universe composed of exactly three dimensions of space and one of time? That may be the only kind of universe that's habitable. Space of less than three dimensions would not allow enough complexity to biological molecules or the beings constructed from them. Imagine a two-dimensional, cardboard being. Any path through it that could serve as a digestive track would also cut the creature in half.

High school girls are narrowing the gap in participation in advanced math and science courses but still lag behind boys in such key disciplines as physics and computer science, a study released today concludes. Boys, on the other hand, are far less likely than girls to take advanced English or foreign language classes in high school, or to set their sights on education, health or social science majors in college.

Los Angeles high school graduates who took the SAT college admission exam this year raised the district's verbal score slightly over last year, while math scores held steady, according to results released Tuesday. School officials said they will offer extensive preparation for the test in the 1998-1999 school year in hopes of achieving a bigger improvement.