Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryMathematics

operaciones-matematicas-escritas-a-mano-con-una-tiza-en-la-p-478224078-stockpack-adobestock
Operaciones matemáticas escritas a mano con una tiza en la pizarra

Monday Micro Softy 31: Elementary Algebra

How much can an equation be simplified?
In last week’s puzzle, the car was handling like a cement mixer because something was wrong with the tires. The solution lies in finding out what that is. Read More ›
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Abstract numbers background - big data concept.

Human Mind: Logic Shows Abstract Thought Is an Immaterial Power

Neuroscience evidence helps us see the spiritual nature of our minds but we can use the power of our reason to demonstrate that too
A question for materialists: How can infinite states of my intellect be generated by finite states of my brain? Read More ›
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The image contains various celestial objects and mathematical calculations subtly illustrated on a dark starry background, ideal for space and science enthusiasts.

Michael Egnor on Faith, Reason, and the Architecture of Reality

In this week’s podcast, discussion with Robert J. Marks, he talks about the relationship between arguments from philosophical reasoning and faith
Egnor describes faith as a deep relationship that may not always yield happiness about life circumstances but fosters lasting joy, independent of circumstances. Read More ›
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A hyper-realistic depiction of a small explosion caused by fireworks, capturing every spark and color detail in slow motion

How the Physicalist Theory of Mind Blows Itself Up

If we examine its basic premise that the brain is a computer and the mind is software we come across a startling contradiction
Mathematics is not material, yet artificial intelligence proponents believe that the mathematics of their neural networks is the seat of consciousness. Read More ›
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Interlocking triangles in primary colors layered with precision

Monday Micro Softy 26: Arguing with Pythagoras

Will the diagonal of a triangle with sides of 3 and 4 feet be 5 feet or, as a visiting mathematician suggests, 7 feet?
The answer to last week’s puzzle lies in remembering what happens when you put a rod on a diagonal inside a square box. Read More ›
hand-made-wood-burn-tic-tac-toe-game-with-painted-rock-game-531760391-stockpack-adobestock
Hand made wood burn tic tac toe game with painted rock game pieces; yellow and red beetles and a wooden x and o game, sunset light

Micro Softy Monday 24: Have You Ever Tried 3D Tic Tac Toe?

To liven up a predictable game, try doing it in three — or even four — dimensions! You won't be bored
To solve the Barnum's Circus ticket receipts puzzle, recall that X, Y and Z must all be whole numbers. Algebra then enables us to work out the solution. Read More ›
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African American teacher writing codes on blackboard, she teaching IT lesson at school

Why the Human Mind Cannot Be Reduced to A Mathematical System

Philosophers Roger Penrose and J.R. Lucas walk us through an argument based on Gödel’s incompleteness theorem
Gödel’s theorem started by upending mathematics nearly a century ago by showing that it is impossible to create a mathematical Theory of Everything. Read More ›
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Circus lion. Ai art

Monday Micro Softy 23: Barnum’s Circus Receipts

Circus master Barnum's ticket seller had not kept proper track of the tickets sold. Can the limited information — and some algebra — help Barnum figure it out?
The solution to Micro Softy 22, given here, depends on the assumptions we make about Timmy's surgeon. Read More ›
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Microscopic Flatworm in Low Light, Detailed Platyhelminthes Anatomy

Mind Rules, Not Matter, Biologists Say — in Journal Article

They argue that simple natural processes cannot explain embryological development. Instead, biology is directed by cognition
A revolution in biology? Too soon to tell but the fact that they are permitted to make their case signals greater openness to considering the evidence. Read More ›
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Ai copywriting bot using chatgpt for content creation artificial intelligence concept 3d illustration. Artificial Intelligence. Illustration

Analysts: AIs Are Often Wrong But Never Uncertain

Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis note that getting AIs to admit uncertainty is "one of the most important *unsolved* challenges" in the field
We will be dealing with problems around non-conscious AI that some people suppose is conscious long before we deal with conscious AI — if we ever do. Read More ›
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Abstract geometric background with triangles

Monday Micro Softy 19: The “Bermuda Triangle”

Why does the strange triangle, rearranged, appear to have a bit of extra area?
The solution to the Twins Paradox lies in considering the possibility that Curt and Rod were not alone in the womb. Read More ›
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Three fabric gift bags in gray, beige, and red, sitting on a marble surface against a bokeh background of Christmas lights.

Monday Micro Softy 17: Mixed-up Bags of Marbles

The bags-of-marbles puzzle is comparatively simple: How many marbles must you pull from the mislabeled bags in order to relabel them correctly?
There’s a rough solution to the “leaky bucket” problem but an exact solution requires some use of fluid dynamics. And the Moon, surprisingly, changes nothing. Read More ›
sandcastle-at-st-aubins-beach-stockpack-adobe-stock-26053835-stockpack-adobe_stock
Sandcastle at St Aubin's Beach

How Mathematician Kurt Gödel Proved the Unprovable Proposition

He kicked over the mathematical sandcastles of those who proposed a mathematical Theory of Everything
While Gödel’s technique was unheard of in his day, we are very familiar with it today. It is the same technique that computers use to store information. Read More ›
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stained-glass window

Monday Micro Softy 13: Garbage Trucks, String Theory…

… and Stained-Glass Windows. What connects them?
These puzzles, associated with the great mathematician Leonard Euler (1707‒1783), have a practical use, for example, in laying water pipes. Read More ›
training-of-dog-close-up-of-pet-keeper-holding-treats-over-b-835373179-stockpack-adobe_stock
Training of dog. Close up of pet keeper holding treats over blurred background of adorable golden retriever. Excited fluffy dog waiting for favorite snack while executing sit command

Science Writing: Dog Intelligence Compared With Baby Intelligence

It’s an odd question because what we should be asking is, “Are kittens and puppies smarter than babies?”
The comparison doesn’t really work but it underlines the *doctrine* that human intelligence is just another type of animal intelligence. Read More ›
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group of musicians after the performance of his work

Monday Micro Softy 11: What Happened to That Other Dollar?

Shirley, Goodness, and Mercy get the discount for their cheap hotel rooms but the figures don’t really add up
To solve this Micro Softy, you need to pinpoint the flaw in the logic that hinges on the Law of Conservation of Money. Read More ›