Generally putting a math problem in front of a journalist elicits a similar level of understanding as putting a map in front of a monkey.

This might explain, but doesn't excuse the British Broadcasting Corporation trying to sell this garbage.

Schoolchildren in Caversham have become the first in the country to learn about a new number - 'nullity' - which solves maths problems neither Newton nor Pythagoras could conquer.

Dr James Anderson, from the University of Reading's computer science department, says his new theorem solves an extremely important problem - the problem of nothing.

"Imagine you're landing on an aeroplane and the automatic pilot's working," he suggests. "If it divides by zero and the computer stops working - you're in big trouble. If your heart pacemaker divides by zero, you're dead."

Computers simply cannot divide by zero. Try it on your calculator and you'll get an error message.

But Dr Anderson has come up with a theory that proposes a new number - 'nullity' - which sits outside the conventional number line (stretching from negative infinity, through zero, to positive infinity).

I came up with this when I was in high school -- I called it "Steve."

There's lots of good comments on the stupidity of this over at Slashdot.