math is not a single hability. topology is not the same than algebra. multiply two numbers or solving an integral by means of a known algoritm has nothing in common with finding the solution to a mathematical problem that is unknown forr the person. Spatial reasoning is not the same than appliying a known mathematical method. Depending on the mathematical tests, you can easily conclude that men and woman are equal or even that women outperform men. But in what is more genuinelly mathematical reasoning, men are better. moreover, Usually, men have more dispersion in IQ tests. threare more men in both sides of the spectrum. Even in the case that both sexes are equal in math habilities (that is not the case), men congenitally have more pleasure and play/invest more time in engineering. There are evolutionary reasons why men do so. Women excel at other habilities for the same reason. . Enough for an off topic subject. It is an interesting subject anyway. Regards. 2010/3/29 Jeff Heard

The Wisconsin study, which was done in the 1980s and then redone last year is the primary source for that, and it presents data that there is no real difference between women and men in math ability. The only *statistically* significant (bold because significant is a technical term, not a term denoting quality) difference that remains in the revisited study (which can be found in Nature toward the latter half of last year, but I don't have the ref. on me at the moment) is between the variances in IQ and testing distribution between the two genders. This causes more men to be in the 95th and above percentiles on the tests that were given, however given what we know about the tests and work from the specific branch of organizational psych known as testing theory, the number of questions that differentiates the populations in the 90th and above percentiles is too small to be meaningful. To put together a real test on the extrema of mathematical ability for both genders, one would have to construct a second test that tests only extraordinary populations.

So in other words, the results are significant, technically, but using them to derive the conclusion that the best men are better at engineering and math isn't possible. It's another hypothesis, and not explained by the results of the study.

By the way, I've been on many programming mailing lists and other techie mailing lists where this subject has come up, and I've never seen it so rationally discussed as on this mailing list...

-- Jeff

On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 10:37 AM, Alberto G. Corona wrote:

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IQ tests, for example. google it.

2010/3/28 Jochem Berndsen

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Alberto G. Corona wrote:

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The reasons for the sexual differences in mathematical abilities are different, because math abilities are not a -primary- reason for survival. Tools engineering and mastering is. If this is politically incorrect I beg you pardon, but this is my honest theory about that.

My

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other hobby is evolution and evolutionary psichology. I really recommend to learn about it.

Could you point us to any evidence that supports your assumption that there are "sexual differences in mathematical abilities"?

Thanks, Jochem

-- Jochem Berndsen | jochem@functor.nl

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