The concept of fake news has become a hot topic in recent years. With the current ease of online interconnectivity, misinformation can proliferate at a rapid rate and pose a large threat to our social integrity. This is particularly true of social media platforms, where misleading content such as articles or videos have the ability to heavily influence public opinion. The statistical analyses of fake news trends helps to play an important role in identifying and combating the spread of misinformation.
Misinformation And Its Impact
Misinformation can be classed as misleading through unintentional inaccuracies, or as disinformation – content that is intentionally designed to deceive. In either case, misinformation can be very damaging. The danger of fake news lies in the rapidity of its spread, which can often become viral due to the highly emotional reactions they elicit or from the echo chambers caused by social media algorithms. Ramifications include political polarisation and social division as well as the erosion of public trust.
A recent example of this can be seen during the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination rollout, where a vast amount of misinformation was shared that lacked scientific evidence, focusing on claims of vaccine negative side effects. This resulted in the hesitancy for vaccination amongst certain demographics, affecting world governments’ efforts to achieve herd immunity and control the health crisis.
Identifying Misinformation
To identify typical patterns of misinformation, mathematical statistics and analysis can be used to establish content credibility and allow for counter measures to be made. By analysing the frequency, sources and spread of information, analysts can use machine learning and data visualisation techniques to see if certain types of content are being shared disproportionality compared to other similar topics.
Techniques such as sentiment analysis involves collecting large amounts of data from shared content by analysing emotional tone through natural language processing. Misinformation typically contains negative sentiments and a large, sudden spike in activity can signal a possible recent spread of misinformation. Network analysis can also help to look at how information is shared between users and identify key influencers and fake news hubs.
Countering Efforts
Once misinformation has been identified, campaigns can be made to raise public awareness of its existence and provide corrected information. Governments can put in place policies to help curb its spread such as the removal of content while enforcing stricter guidelines.
During the 2024 American election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, misinformation was spread throughout prominent social media platforms, particularly within the area of immigration. Trump’s claim that many more migrants have crossed the border than actually reported have been circulating online and is particularly prominent when content is shared in other languages, such as Spanish. Content written in Spanish is not as restricted as heavily as English and can have a particularly adverse effect Latino voters. Organisations such as the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA) have aided in tracking misinformation and fact checking content to ensure Latino voters are able to make an informed decision.
Despite such regulators, the challenge of sorting misinformation from truth will continue to be a great one, and arguably is set to become more difficult in the future.
If you are interested in studying Maths, Oxford Home Schooling offer the chance to do so at several levels, listed below. You can also Contact Us.
Data mining is the process of analysing large amounts of data to identify patterns and trends that can be used to make predictions or decisions. Machine learning and algorithms are usually used to handle the vast information gathered, providing intelligence for a wide range of industries including marketing, healthcare and finance. As this area continues to grow, the practice raises many ethical concerns about the invasion of user’s privacy, outcome biases and data transparency.
User Privacy
Many individuals are usually unaware that their data and behaviours are being recorded, with some online platforms failing to clearly inform participants or gain their consent. Although user data is supposedly anonymous, it can be possible to identify individuals from patterns in cross-referenced data sets, where sensitive user data can be exposed.
An example of this was during the Cambridge Analytica Scandal of 2018, when Facebook’s data was mined to create user profiles to influence political campaigns without user consent or awareness. One of the earliest controversies in 2012 involved Target, a US retailer. They developed an algorithm to predict when female customers became pregnant based on their purchase habits in order to send them relevant advertising. In one case, this led to a father receiving pregnancy ads before his daughter had made him aware that she was pregnant.
Outcome Biases
Algorithms trained on historical data that contain certain biases can perpetuate the issue. These historical biases, for example, can lead to lower credit rating scores for individuals from marginalised communities. Biases can also occur from incomplete or inaccurate data which can lead to over simplified outcomes or results, or from unforeseen algorithmic biases, where the programming itself can discriminate due to its coding.
The outcome of these issues can lead to discrimination in certain industries, for example hiring, education and finance. One such example was Amazon’s AI hiring tool, developed in 2014, to identify the best talent from the analyses of job resumes. As the algorithm was based on historical data where the majority of hires were men, the algorithm favoured applicants in male-dominated fields while downgrading resumes from female applicants.
Transparency And Accountability
Given the large amounts of user data collected, transparency helps build trust while protecting individual rights. It means that users should have the right to be informed in a clear fashion that their data is being collected, how it will be used and whether it will be shared with third parties. Algorithms should also have clear guidelines of what criteria they use to make their decisions and organisations should have access to be able to understand and interpret their algorithms decisions. This can be a challenging aspect, given the complexity and ‘black box’ approach of many current algorithms.
The Security Risks Of Data Mining
Data mining raises the question of who owns the data collected and is therefore responsible for its safeguarding. Large amounts of sensitive data are normally a target for hackers and a breach can lead to the theft of personally identifiable information. In 2021, 700 million user records from LinkedIn were breached, exposing names email address and phone numbers, raising the potential for identity theft and phishing.
Future Improvements
As data mining becomes more sophisticated, demands for better privacy and protection will place pressure on organisations to follow practices such as GDPR, where the minimum data required is collected and for a finite time period, or using enhanced encryption techniques and increased regulation and compliance. Bias detection and the incorporation of ethical frameworks will also be critical to ensure fairness and diversity.
If you are interested in studying Economics or Sociology, Oxford Home Schooling offer the chance to study the subjects at several levels, listed below. You can also Contact Us.
For the last 5,000 years, the concept of currency has been used by humanity in some form or another, with its evolution a testament to our constant innovations and adaptions in the face of economic, societal and technological change.
The Bartering System
Before money existed as a physical form of currency, it is generally believed that transactions were made in the form of bartering. Here, items of value such as food, tools, animals and services were traded. The value of these transactions were not set in stone, and were decided by the participating parties at the time. There were, however, issues that occurred with this system; each participant had to desire what the other was offering at the time.
Commodity Money
Regular items of value soon became traded as commodities. As humans began to domesticate animals, cattle served as a primary source for trade. This practice still exists in some countries today, such as South Sudan, where cattle could even be used to purchase a house. Other forms of commodity included cowrie shells, which are sometimes thought of as precursors to coins. They were used by China from the end of the Neolithic period and are the longest and most widely used currency in history.
Coin System
Around 1000 BC, copper and bronze cowrie imitations were made by China as the first form of coinage. However, according to the Greek historian Herodotus, it was in the ancient kingdom of Lydia around the 7th century that true coins made of a gold and silver alloy called electrum started to become circulated. The idea of coinage soon spread to other countries such as Greece and the Roman Empire, and made transactions much easier and flexible without the need to carry heavy items of trade.
Paper Money
Paper money is believed to have originated in ancient China. In the 11th century, during the Song dynasty, paper money was issued to combat a shortage of copper for coin production and as a result of the weight of carrying around large amounts of coin. The later Ming dynasty tried to replace coins with paper currency altogether, leading to currency depreciation, economy inflation and the eventual withdrawal of paper money in China. It wasn’t until 1661 that Sweden became the first European country to issue bank notes.
The Gold Standard
In 1816, England set the precedence to link the value of bank notes to gold reserves. While this offered stability and assurances, it meant that the amount of bank notes in circulation were limited to the size of the reserves. This created a vulnerability to economic fluctuations and during the depression of the 1930s, countries began to move away from the gold standard towards fiat money – a system where the value of currency is determined by a government decree and allows its value to far exceed its actual worth.
Digital Currency
Since the transfer of electronic money became popular through services such as Western Union, the idea of a digital currency has become more popular in modern times, challenging the concept of banks and currency in its traditional sense. In 2009, a cryptocurrency known as bitcoin was launched, a concept of currency not controlled by a political or corporate authority. With the rise in cryptocurrencies, bionic payments, central bank digital currency (CBDC) and digital technology, it may well be that we move towards becoming a cashless society in the very near future.
The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the most prestigious of all the international Olympiads and is aimed at secondary school students to help them develop academic excellence, foster cultural exchange and nurture a passion for mathematics.
Competition History
Mathematics competitions began between schools in the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 19th century. The first International Mathematical Olympiad event was held in 1959 in Romania, with seven soviet countries participating. At first, the competitions were very small but over the decades, more countries began to participate from around the world. Gradually, the event has grown to welcome over 100 participating countries, each taking turns to host the event annually. The intensive competition takes place over two days and involves teams of contestants solving three questions during a 4.5 hour exam. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the winning teams.
Cultural And Educational Impact
The International Mathematical Olympiad is much more than a competition. It acts as a platform to showcase exceptional mathematical talent from around the world. It fosters collaboration and cultural exchange within students, allowing them to share ideas and learning. It also challenges and stimulates the growth of its participants, developing their confidence and abilities within the field of mathematics while encouraging them to pursue careers within STEM subjects.
Notable IMO Participants
Some of the contestants of the programme have not only achieved excellent results but have also gone on to make valuable contributions in the field of mathematics. Terence Tao is perhaps one of the best-known IMO members who received gold medals at the young ages of 13 and 14. He was later awarded the Fields Medal, a prestigious award in mathematics and is now a professor at the University of California. Ciprian Manolescu achieved the remarkable feat of completing three flawless papers at the IMO and is recognised for his work in Floer homology. Lisa Sauermann is a German mathematician who was one of the competitions top female scoring participants. Her studies focus on discrete mathematics, particularly in the areas of combinatorics and graph principles.
Competition Challenges
Training for the International Mathematical Olympiad is a rigorous process. New mathematical talents are identified and nurtured through regional and national competitions before being put forward for an intensive series of training camps that cover high-level mathematical challenges.
This process can pose an issue for some countries, who do not have the infrastructure to train participants and therefore become underrepresented within the competition. There is also a gender imbalance of participants taking part in the competitions, with a lower percentage of female students taking part. Addressing these issues will help to enhance the collaborative and diverse nature of the event for all participants.
Galileo Galilei was an Italian scientist and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, physics, and mathematics. He is often referred to as the “father of modern science” and is widely considered to be one of the most influential scientists in history. His work was instrumental in the scientific revolution of the 17th century. Here are some of Galileo’s greatest achievements and interesting facts.
Greatest Achievements
One of Galileo’s greatest achievements was his use of the telescope to observe the night sky. He was the first person to observe the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the rings of Saturn. Of Jupiter’s moons, he also determined the four largest, and they are now known as the Galilean moons. He was also the first to observe sunspots and to measure the speed of light. He confirmed that the Earth revolved around the sun, a revolutionary idea at the time. He also confirmed the heliocentric theory of Nicolaus Copernicus and observed the phases of Venus, the four moons of Jupiter, and the mountains and craters on the moon.
Galileo Is Relevant In The History Of Multiple Subjects
Galileo was also a renowned mathematician. He developed the modern scientific method and made significant contributions to the fields of geometry, mechanics, and kinematics. He is credited with the invention of the pendulum clock, which revolutionised timekeeping, and that of the thermometer and the compass. He also formulated the law of falling bodies, which states that all objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum.
Galileo also wrote extensively on the topics of religion and philosophy. He was an advocate for heliocentrism, the idea that the Earth and other planets revolve around the Sun. This was a radical idea at the time and put him at odds with the Catholic Church, which believed that the Earth was the centre of the universe.
In further addition to his scientific and philosophical contributions, Galileo was an accomplished musician. He composed numerous pieces of music, including several sonatas and a cantata. Yet another credited invention is the lute, a stringed instrument similar to the modern guitar.
Prosecution And Progress
Galileo’s life and work were not without controversy. As mentioned previously, he clashed with the Catholic Church over his belief in the heliocentric system, which resulted in him being found guilty of heresy and placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life. In modern times, Galileo is seen as a symbol of scientific progress and courage in the face of opposition. His contributions to science helped shape our understanding of the universe, and his legacy is still celebrated today.
Galileo Galilei was a remarkable scientist and philosopher who made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy, physics, and mathematics. His discoveries revolutionised the way we think about the universe and laid the foundation for modern science. He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest scientists of all time.
Exams are, finally, over; revision notes are packed away, shredded, passed on to your sibling, or thrown on the BBQ; the endless balmy days of a British summer lie ahead of you. You can lounge in the sun, meet up with friends, and you don’t have to worry about setting an alarm. And then… and then… results day looms, that day in August* when you will open the envelope, or the message, and find out how well you have done. It’s nerve-wracking. It’s anxiety-inducing. It’s a day that some people would rather not have to deal with. But fear not. It’s not as bad as you think.
It is natural to feel concerned and worried ahead of receiving your exams results. In fact, it is healthy to feel a certain amount of anxiety about different life events. However, spending a lot of your waking hours, and maybe even being kept awake at night due to worrying, is not helpful. So if you are likely to suffer with anxiety in the run-up to your results day in August, the three top tips below might be of use.
What’s Done Is Done
Once you’ve finished your exams, you need to try and remember that there isn’t anything more you can do about results at that point. Some people forensically go back through their responses, they question their friends, they ask their tutors. In reality, it’s done. So, try and put your concerns on the shelf and move on to the next challenge, or relax.
Exams Results Are Not The End Of The World
Exams results days are important, yes, and can dictate what you do next – for example, A-Levels or university. However, if you are anxious about not doing as well as you would like, just remember: whatever results you receive, it will not mean the end of the world. Okay, so they may affect what you do next, albeit temporarily, but you can retake your exams, or maybe even your plans must change – and this might not be a bad thing. Try to rationalise the situation, it will make you feel better.
Enjoy Some “Me” Time
Feeling anxious about an upcoming event can be horrible. So, if you are affected by anxiety like this, try and build in some activities which can help to alleviate such feelings. You might take a walk in the fresh air, appreciate the environment around you. Maybe you get stuck into a good book, or go and kick a football around with your friends. Sitting around dwelling on a potential future situation is not healthy for you mentally or physically – and ‘escaping’ from this mindset in some way can be hugely beneficial.
So, if you start to feel anxious with exam results day looming, try to divert yourself. You’ll feel a whole lot better if you do.
*18th August, Exams Results for A-Level, and 25th August for GCSE.
March 14 is World Pi Day and also marks the 141st birthday of the famous theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. Einstein published the special and general theories of relativity and contributed to many other areas of physics. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.
Never the conformist student, during his years studying at the Zurich Polytechnic, Einstein’s creative rebellion apparently led to his professors giving him less than glowing recommendations upon his graduation in 1900.
Five years later, in 1905—whilst he worked as a clerk in the Swiss patent office, Einstein published four revolutionary articles that introduced his famous equation E=mc2 (meaning energy equals mass times the speed of light squared) and the theory of special relativity.
Einstein’s breakthroughs paved the way for his grand entrance onto the world stage for Physics. His path into academia wasn’t a fast one, however. It took him until 1909, almost a decade after finishing school, to gain a full professorship.
Ever the wise and inspirational academic, Einstein’s thought-provoking quotes on education still inspire us today. Here are 5 of his best, with their meaning given below:
1) “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
We need to balance our right-brain creativity and imagination with our left-brain logic, and this the key to unlocking new perspectives on the universe.
2) “Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavours. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”
We should put the wellbeing of our planet at the heart of everything we do in our work. We should not treat it as an afterthought.
3) “The only source of knowledge is experience.”
No matter how many years a student of any subject, it’s in first-hand experience that we gain the knowledge to grow.
4) “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
Education is more than merely reciting facts and figures. It’s about developing critical thinking skills, the ability to be able to objectively analyse and evaluate an issue to form a judgement.
5) “Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”
The world needs more people with a spark of ingenuity to anticipate problems and prevent them before they happen.
On World Pi Day, and in celebration of the life and work of Albert Einstein, it’s important to take time to remember and reflect on both his learnings and words of wisdom.
Social media can be a powerful tool for good in education. As Maria Khan said, “Power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it”. So, if you’re looking for a daily fix of learning, in any subject, from History or Psychology, here are my top 5 must-follow Twitter accounts…
-
Psychology and Human Development
Dr Tim O’Brien @Doctob
If you’re intrigued by anecdotes and insights into human behaviour, and want to understand why we act and think as we do, Dr Tim O’Brien is your man. Tim is Visiting Senior Fellow, Psychology & Human Development, UCL @IOE_London. Tim focuses on wellbeing and explores aspects of human nature, encouraging empathy, kindness and understanding.
-
Mathematics
Primary Maths @MathsPrimary
Unearth your inner maths geek by following the Head of Maths at Berkhamsted Primary School. If you’d love to master maths (who wouldn’t?) you’ll discover an array of helpful tips, as well as some real-life classroom examples and fascinating facts (and no, it’s not just algebra). The best bits? Those myth-busting, ‘ahh’-inducing posts.
-
Science
Neil deGrasse Tyson @neiltyson
Dr. Tyson is an inspirational astrophysicist and author, with 13.5 million followers. Follow him for his knowledge and appreciation of science. You will receive so many awe-inspiring nuggets of information about our beautiful planet and way beyond. In fact, you’ll never look at the world in quite the same way again.
-
Languages
If you’re learning a new lingo, are already beautifully bilingual or if your love for language burns brightly, then this is the account for you. Get a daily dose of the interesting facts behind where the words you’re learning come from and what they really mean. You’ll be able to surprise your friends with random facts they never knew, fuelling a whole new passion for language.
-
History
Dr Bob Nicolson is a Historian of Victorian Pop Culture and Reader in History & Digital Humanities at Edgehill University. Follow him for amusing and insightful snippets into the Victorians and their era; you’ll find cuttings from Answers magazines and poetry clippings. All served up with a good measure of humour.
By Harry Johnstone, a student with OHS who has some tips for anyone struggling with this classic technical puzzle…
I first got into Rubik’s Cubes when my auntie bought me an original one for Christmas a few years ago, just before we went to France for a month. Throughout the trip I was determined to solve it. I looked all through YouTube for videos on how to solve it and they did help, but I still didn’t quite complete it and struggled a lot. Despite this, I kept trying. Towards the end of the trip I still hadn’t quite solved it, but I had picked up techniques and I knew my way around the cube.
On the last couple of days of the trip we stopped at some family friends for a night. The man we were staying with was a scientist (a theoretical physicist) and a mathematician, and had grown up with Rubik’s Cubes. He helped me and we found a good method on the internet. It was well worded and easy to understand. I then managed to solve the Rubik’s Cube! I could solve it while looking at the method so I could read the algorithms, and later learnt how to solve it off by heart. With the method I used you had to memorise 5 algorithms. That might sound hard, but it’s not that difficult once you get the hang of it.
An algorithm is (In Rubik’s Cube terms) a sequence of moves that get the cube from one step to another. You need to memorise several of them to solve the cube but it’s not very difficult if you practice, as muscle memory will take over. Different methods, with practice, will help you solve it faster, but generally the faster the method, the more algorithms you need to memorise.
I like the Rubik’s Cube because it’s extremely rewarding to finally solve, and fun to time yourself and try to beat your record. It showed me that if I persevere with things I can achieve them, even when it feels impossible. It’s a great logic puzzle that can really mess with your brain sometimes, and it has show value! There are so many different types of puzzles based around the Rubik’s cube. Some are easier, some harder. However, a lot of them have very similar solving methods. So, if you learn how to solve the standard 3×3 Cube, the rest will be a lot easier.
After I learned to solve it, my uncle wanted me to teach him too. It took a while, with a few lessons every now and then when I saw him. But in the end he did it. He managed to solve it off by heart and we often time each other and have races. He also learned how to solve it blindfolded, and started to teach me how to do this. There are other shapes of Rubik’s puzzles, and he can solve most of those too. My uncle also taught my cousin how to solve it. He was five at the time!
I highly recommend the Rubik’s Cube to anyone of all ages. It will take some effort but you will get there in the end. Why not check out the link on its machinations below?
The Official Rubik’s Cube | Solution Guides (rubiks.com)
According to research published by National Numeracy, approximately 17 million workers in the UK only have numeracy skills of a primary school child. That’s a staggering figure, constituting over 50% of the UK’s 2017 working population.
Numeracy is the skill of being able to work with and understand numbers. This includes understanding the rules of addition and subtraction, division and multiplication. It also includes knowing the rules of BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction). There is also the skill of working with decimals and fractions.
Poor numeracy also comes at a price. It is estimated that it costs the UK economy an eye-watering £20 billion each year. It’s no surprise, either, that those with poor numerical skills are twice as likely to be unemployed.
At the same time that the UK is seeing such low levels of numeracy, the digital age is overloading us with more numerical data than we’ve ever encountered before. Whilst computers can help do the Maths for us, calculations do rely on good numerical skills to use and apply them. It means we still need the ability to enter the right data and apply our judgement skills to decipher whether or not the answer looks correct.
Almost everyone will need to apply numeracy skills to varying degrees in their lives, be it during employment or personal life. If people do have poor numeracy skills it can lead to financial problems, and if many people have these problems it will have a marked impact on the ability of the nation to understand and grasp personal financial planning. This gives banks and financial institutions an unfair advantage over their account holders.
Research published by Experian and the charity National Numeracy (NN) highlighted that consumers who are more confident with numbers are more likely to have a better credit score than those who aren’t. Evidently there is much improvement needed in terms of the relevance and practical application of numerical skills taught in the UK curriculum.
On the need to place financial education firmly on the UK curriculum, Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert has said: “The best place to teach is in the classroom”, alluding to the need for better, and perhaps more importantly, relevant financial education in schools. Do you know your APR from your AER? Or the basic tax rate from the higher rate? Navigating the murky waters of bank accounts, tax, pensions and credit cards can cause many people to feel out of their depth. The bottom line is that good numeracy counts.
The good news is that you can start working on your numerical skills today. If you are curious to find out how your numeracy measures up, you can visit the National Numeracy Day website. Held each year to raise awareness of numeracy skills, you can take its challenge on the subject here: www.nnchallenge.org.uk/home/index.html?partner_code=nnd18
