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COMMUNITY:
Peer-reviewed article

Maths in the news: uses and errors in Portuguese newspapers

June 7, 2016 | Media and Technology
The authors present a quantitative content analysis to assess the use of mathematical information in the news of five generalist Portuguese newspapers during a three-month period. Misuses of mathematics were also studied in this context. Results show that only a small percentage of the news articles have mathematical information when compared to previous studies in the field. Furthermore, over 30% of the news articles containing mathematical information have some type of mathematical error. Different categories of errors are defined and reasons why these might occur are discussed.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Susana Pereira
    Author
    Visual Loop
  • Antonio Jose Machiavelo
    Author
    University of Porto
  • Jose Azevedo
    Author
    Oporto University
  • Citation

    ISSN : 1824-2049
    Publication Name: Journal of Science Communication
    Volume: 15
    Number: 4
    Resource Type: Research Products
    Discipline: Mathematics
    Audience: General Public | Scientists
    Environment Type: Media and Technology | Comics, Books, and Newspapers

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