Free Republic

Large Language Models (LLMs) have ushered in a new era of artificial intelligence (AI) demonstrating remarkable capabilities in language generation, translation, and reasoning. Yet, LLMs often stumble over basic math problems, posing a problem for their use in settings—including education—where math is essential. However, these limitations are being addressed through improvements in the models themselves along with better prompting strategies.

Diego Fonseca looked at the computer and took a breath. It was his final attempt at the math placement test for his first year of college. His first three tries put him in pre-calculus, a blow for a student who aced honors physics and computer science in high school. Functions and trigonometry came easily, but the basics gave him trouble. He struggled to understand algebra, a subject he studied only during a year of remote learning in high school. “I didn’t have a hands-on, in-person class, and the information wasn’t really there,” said Fonseca, 19, of Ashburn, Virginia, a computer...

Painting Sells, Kerry Makes Error on Tax by Daniel Grant Massachusetts Senator and presumptive Democratic party presidential nominee John Kerry is quickly becoming known nationally for his Senate record, his Vietnam War experience, his opinions on President Bush and the economy, his patrician background, and his current wife. Add to the mix his experience as an art investor or, more specifically, the sale last year of a 17th-century Dutch painting by Adam Willaerts. The sale was part of a complicated arrangement engineered by his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and Litchfield, Connecticut, art dealer Peter Tillou, who had jointly purchased the...