New Zealand Herald: On the quest to find true love, it is a well-used adage that one must kiss a few frogs before meeting a prince.

And it would appear this theory is accurate, after a mathematician came up with a formula to find a perfect mate.

Dr Hannah Fry, a mathematician at University College London, has developed a practical theory for love that involves ruling out anyone you meet in the first 37 per cent of your dating life. The theory suggests if someone began dating at the age of 15, and hoped to stop at 40 at the latest, they should not plan to find true love before 24.

It suggests that people "get a feel for the marketplace" when they are young before settling down with the "next person that comes along who is better than everyone they have met before".

Dr Fry has publishing a 116-page book entitled The Mathematics of Love. Some of her statistically proven tips include always being prepared to approach a would-be mate, finding a similar-looking but slightly less attractive "wingman", and never cropping one's faults out of a photograph on an online dating profile.