• More than 100,000 people have taken the Panamath test.

    - Justin Halberda, PhD
    Johns Hopkins University

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Panamath in the press

In the news and in the classroom, Panamath has been changing how we approach mathematical aptitude. Check out what others are saying.

Gut Instinct's Surprising Role in Math
by Natalie Angier
September 18, 2008

"[A] host of new studies suggests that the two number systems, the bestial and celestial, may be profoundly related, an insight with potentially broad implications for math education."

How One's 'Number Sense' Helps With Mathematics
by Rob Stein
September 8, 2008

"Scientists have for the first time established a link between a primitive, intuitive sense of numbers and performance in math classes, a finding that could lead to new ways to help children struggling in."

Science: Innate Sense of Numbers (Interview)
by Rob Stein and Dr. Justin Halberda
September 8, 2008

"'...a lot of what we are doing when we think mathematically is compressing and transforming information. Seeing a pattern, a shape, instead of all the individual variables that make up the shape is one type of compression.'"

Nature Magazine Podcast
September 11, 2008

This audio file is a podcast from Nature magazine discussing the results of Panamath with Dr. Halberda.

Good with Numbers? It's in your Genes
by Linda Gebbes
September 7, 2008

"Halberda cautions against thinking success or failure in school mathematics is entirely genetic and therefore immutable. '[The] ANS is powerful, but it certainly isn't predicting 100% of the variance [in mathematical ability],' he says."

"'It is difficult to overstate the importance of the 'number sense' for all kinds of animals.'"

Inborn path to math
by Bruce Bower
September 27, 2008

"Individual performance on the approximation task corresponded closely with scores on two standard math achievement tests the participants had taken from kindergarten through sixth grade."

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"Approximate number sense, they found, ran the gamut. Some subjects could tell the difference between nine yellow dots and 10 blue ones, where others could barely distinguish four blue dots from six yellow ones."

"Good 'number sense' at age 14 correlates with higher scores on standardized math tests throughout a child's life and weaker "number sense" at 14 predicts lower scores on standardized tests..."

Using Stimulus Dollars to Decode Number Sense (pdf)
by Lisa De Nike
September 28, 2009

"[T]he team's research results may ultimately benefit people with dyscalculia, a learning disability that afflicts about one in every 15 people and brings with it innate difficulty in comprehending mathematics and other number-based skills."

How to Spot a Genius
by Dr. Marc du Sautoy
February 17, 2010

"It turns out that it's not whether you have more grey matter that matters, but the dynamics of the development of the brain that has the biggest impact on future cognitive ability."

Want to see more of Dr. du Sautoy? Visit our Youtube page.

Toddler maths skills indicate future ability
by Roger Highfield
September 7, 2008

"In fact, [Dr. Halberda] said, the ability to distinguish quantities is the most powerful psychological predictor of success in school maths."

"Previous research has shown that an innate sense of numbers is entirely controlled by a non-verbal region of the brain called the intraparietal sulcus. But to do exact arithmetic and precise calculations, humans require language, which is governed by another part of the brain."

Guessing is good for you
by Rachel Thomas
September 15, 2008

"Though people often think of mathematics as a pinnacle of intellectual achievement of humankind, research reveals that some intuition about numbers, counting and mathematical ability is basic to almost all animals."