Mathematicians criticise Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey has been criticised by mathematicians for her album title E=MC2.

The American singer claimed that the title stood for "emancipation equals Mariah Carey times two" rather than referring to Albert Einstein's mass-energy equivalence formula.

Mathematician Dr David Leslie said: "The 'two' in the equation means C squared, not MC multiplied by two.

"The correct reading of the equation is E=MCC, so perhaps Mariah's re-interpretation should have been 'emancipation equals Mariah Carey Carey'?"

Other celebrities reprimanded by charity Sense About Science for misleading the public included Delia Smith, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore.

"The problem comes when they don't consider checking it or asking a few questions before they speak out," said charity director Ellen Raphael.

"With the internet and 24-hour news, media celebrities' misleading claims travel widely. They add disproportionately to the stock of misinformation that we all then have to wade through to make sense of a subject. A little checking goes a long way."