How to drink infinite beers without getting too drunk 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 … 15. Mar 2019 | By Katie Steckles | 6 comments
What impedes science communication? Results of an Extensive Survey with Young Researchers 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 … 11. Mar 2019 | By Carsten Könneker | 0 comments
This Maths Puzzle is Baffling Facebook 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 … 04. Mar 2019 | By Katie Steckles | 3 comments
The legacy of Emmy Noether 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 … 21. Feb 2019 | By Katie Steckles | 0 comments
Public Key Cryptography 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. … 29. Jan 2019 | By Katie Steckles | 1 comment
A Puzzle ‘Four’ the New Year 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 … 11. Jan 2019 | By Katie Steckles | 0 comments
The Twelve Facts of Christmas: Pascal’s Triangle At this time of year, you’ll see a lot of decorations around and a lot of shapes – stars, trees, snowmen, and so on. One shape you might not see many of though, is the … 20. Dec 2018 | By Katie Steckles | 4 comments
Right on the money 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 … 04. Dec 2018 | By Katie Steckles | 7 comments
Measuring the Change 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 … 21. Nov 2018 | By Katie Steckles | 1 comment
Permutations and Tribulations When I moved to studying maths at university, I was stunned by the great variety of concepts, structures and objects that university-level maths finds completely normal, but that you barely even think about at school … 13. Nov 2018 | By Katie Steckles | 3 comments
