If you look up combinatorics on Wikipedia, it’s described as ‘a branch of mathematics primarily concerned with counting’. You might be forgiven for thinking, if you have studied maths at school level but not encountered … Weiterlesen
One of the main prizes celebrated at the Heidelberg Laureate Forum each year is the Abel Prize – established on 1 January 2002, the Abel Prize recognises outstanding scientific work in the field of mathematics, … Weiterlesen
A popular joke among mathematicians goes as follows: Infinitely many mathematicians walk into a bar, and the first one orders a pint of beer; the second orders half a pint, and the next orders a … Weiterlesen
Carsten Könneker, Philipp Niemann, Christoph Böhmert The demand for science communication to the public (the so-called external science communication) is currently becoming louder and louder against the background of the debates on “fake science” and … Weiterlesen
The internet is an interesting place. I’m often told that people are being ‘baffled’ or ‘stumped’ by ‘maths puzzles’ – despite the fact that many people find maths intimidating, or didn’t get on well with … Weiterlesen
Emmy Noether was a German mathematician who lived from 1882 to 1935, and made huge contributions to the worlds of mathematics and physics. She is a shining example of an excellent mathematical mind, but also … Weiterlesen
One of the great things about working in maths or computer science is that if you’re the inventor or discoverer of a really nice piece of mathematical theory, it will often be named after you. … Weiterlesen
It’s a New Year, and with it comes a new four-digit number. When faced with a number like 2019, it’s the mathematician’s natural instinct to do maths with it. Having quickly checked whether the year … Weiterlesen
One big story in UK finance at the moment is the new design for the £50 note. UK banknotes change design roughly once every 10-20 years, and since the 1960s have included, in addition to … Read more
Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” As a mathematician, I would immediately dispute this – there are definitely mathematical facts it’s possible to … Read more