Reference Terms
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Random variable
A random variable is a mathematical function that maps outcomes of random experiments to numbers. It can be thought of as the numeric result of operating a non-deterministic mechanism or performing a non-deterministic experiment to generate a random result. For example, a random variable can be used to describe the process of rolling a fair die and the possible outcomes { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 }. Another random variable might describe the possible outcomes of picking a random person and measuring his or her height. Unlike the common practice with other mathematical variables, a random variable cannot be assigned a value; a random variable does not describe the actual outcome of a particular experiment, but rather describes the possible, as-yet-undetermined outcomes in terms of real numbers.
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Computers & Math News
August 13, 2025
Aug. 13, 2025 — Scientists have designed swarms of microscopic robots that communicate and coordinate using sound waves, much like bees or birds. These self-organizing micromachines can adapt to their surroundings, reform if damaged, and potentially undertake ...
Aug. 12, 2025 — AI is now a routine part of workplace communication, with most professionals using tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. A study of over 1,000 professionals shows that while AI makes managers’ messages more polished, heavy reliance can damage trust. ...
Aug. 11, 2025 — Scientists have found that microscopic gold clusters can act like the world’s most accurate quantum systems, while being far easier to scale up. With tunable spin properties and mass production potential, they could transform quantum computing and ...
Aug. 8, 2025 — Researchers at Scripps have created T7-ORACLE, a powerful new tool that speeds up evolution, allowing scientists to design and improve proteins thousands of times faster than nature. Using engineered bacteria and a modified viral replication system, ...
Aug. 2, 2025 — Researchers have successfully demonstrated a spectrometer that is orders of magnitude smaller than current technologies and can accurately measure wavelengths of light from ultraviolet to the near-infrared. The technology makes it possible to create ...
July 31, 2025 — Stepping into a virtual forest or waterfall scene through VR could be the future of pain management. A new study shows that immersive virtual nature dramatically reduces pain sensitivity almost as ...
July 28, 2025 — Deep in Serbia's Jadar Valley, scientists discovered a mineral with an uncanny resemblance to Superman's Kryptonite both in composition and name. Dubbed jadarite, this dull white crystal lacks the ...
July 28, 2025 — Quantum computing may one day outperform classical machines in solving certain complex problems, but when and how this “quantum advantage” emerges has remained unclear. Now, researchers from Kyoto University have linked this advantage to ...
July 27, 2025 — Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison uncovered a critical flaw in how lunar and Martian rovers are tested on Earth. Simulations revealed that test results have been misleading for decades because researchers only adjusted rover weight to ...
July 25, 2025 — A breakthrough AI system is revolutionizing cancer immunotherapy by enabling scientists to design protein-based keys that train a patient s immune cells to attack cancer with extreme precision. This method, capable of reducing development time from ...
July 25, 2025 — AI-generated videos are becoming dangerously convincing and UC Riverside researchers have teamed up with Google to fight back. Their new system, UNITE, can detect deepfakes even when faces aren't ...
July 24, 2025 — Aalto University physicists in Finland have set a new benchmark in quantum computing by achieving a record-breaking millisecond coherence in a transmon qubit — nearly doubling prior limits. This development not only opens the door to far more ...
Latest Headlines
updated 12:56 pm ET
July 25, 2025 — Researchers at Harvard have created a groundbreaking metasurface that can replace bulky and complex optical components used in quantum computing with a single, ultra-thin, nanostructured layer. This ...
July 24, 2025 — Even the most powerful AI models, including ChatGPT, can make surprisingly basic errors when navigating ethical medical decisions, a new study reveals. Researchers tweaked familiar ethical dilemmas ...
July 20, 2025 — Researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have made a promising breakthrough in memory technology by using a nickel-tungsten alloy ...
July 17, 2025 — Using advanced metasurfaces, researchers can now twist light to uncover hidden images and detect molecular handedness, potentially revolutionizing data encryption, biosensing, and drug ...
July 14, 2025 — A new leap in lab automation is shaking up how scientists discover materials. By switching from slow, traditional methods to real-time, dynamic chemical experiments, researchers have created a ...
July 10, 2025 — A groundbreaking step in AI hardware efficiency comes from Germany, where scientists have engineered a vast spin waveguide network that processes information with far less energy. These spin waves ...
July 8, 2025 — Neural networks first treat sentences like puzzles solved by word order, but once they read enough, a tipping point sends them diving into word meaning instead—an abrupt “phase transition” ...
July 7, 2025 — Researchers have developed an ultra-thin drumhead-like membrane that lets sound signals, or phonons, travel through it with astonishingly low loss, ...
July 3, 2025 — An advanced Johns Hopkins AI model called MAARS combs through underused heart MRI scans and complete medical records to spot hidden scar patterns that signal sudden cardiac death, dramatically ...
July 3, 2025 — A multinational team has cracked a long-standing barrier to reliable quantum computing by inventing an algorithm that lets ordinary computers ...