Rupa Patel reflects to Plus on her work as a financial engineer
When we finally meet the Martians, John Conway believes they are going to want to talk mathematics.
(19/05/2008)
Translating music into geometry
(15/05/2008)
Great educational thinker dies
(05/05/2008
)
Abstract ideas better than real-world examples for maths learning
As a free online magazine, Plus opens a door onto the world of mathematics for our readers ... now, with our podcast series, we want to open their ears as well! The Plus podcasts will bring you the latest news from the world of maths, plus interviews and discussions with leading mathematicians and scientists about the maths that is changing our lives. Why not subscribe to receive the podcasts automatically and take your maths on the move!
Simply subscribe to our podcast feed in your podcast aggregator of choice, or click here to subscribe in itunes.
Key images in the history of science
From the complexity of the snowflake, to the London tube map and the spiralling Andromeda galaxy, imagery has always been a vitally important ingredient of science. This week, Plus talks to John Barrow, professor of mathematics at Cambridge University and author of the new book Cosmic Imagery, about the images that have changed science, and how we have viewed science, over the centuries.
Breaking the Enigma Code
The Enigma machine was once considered unbreakable, and the cracking of the "unbreakable code" by the allies changed the course of World War 2. This week, Plus talks to Nadia Baker from the Enigma Project about the history of codes and code-breaking, why the Enigma machine was considered unbreakable, the mathematics behind codes, and how it was finally cracked. The Enigma Project travels all over the United Kingdom and abroad, visiting over 100 schools and organisations, reaching over 12,000 people of all ages every year.
Understanding public health
Bacon sandwiches, drinking while pregnant, obesity - health risks are a favourite with the media. But behind the simple numbers quoted in the headlines lies a huge and sophisticated body of statistical research. We talk to Professor Sheila Bird of the Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge about her work in public health and its impact on policy, and discuss bias in pharmaceutical studies, as recently highlighted by the controversy around antidepressants.
The role of maths in interdisciplinary science
We talk to four researchers from UCL's centre for mathematics and physics in the life sciences and experimental biology (COMPLEX) about the role of maths in such fields as astrobiology, cancer modelling and biology.
Resonating football stadiums
We talk to Paul Shepherd about the maths of the Arsenal football stadium and to David Youdan about applied maths in the classroom.
Find out what a mathematical modeller does
We talk to Nira Chamberlain about his job as a modelling consultant involving aircraft carriers, telecommunication networks, staying slim and speaking French.
300 years since Leonard Euler's birth - from the York Science Festival
We talk to Professor Chris Budd about the greatest mathematician of all - Leonard Euler. We also talk about maths communication, maths in the food industry and the best mathematical pickup lines.
European women in mathematics at the University of Cambridge
We visit the European Women in Mathematics conference and talk to two leading mathematicians, Caroline Series and Cheryl Praeger.
New maths from the BA Festival of Science
Reidun Twarock finds symmetry in viruses and tells us about the maths used to understand them.
Maths reshaping space and combatting climate change
We talk to Shahn Majid about a whole new geometry of space, find out about how mathematics is combatting climate change, as well as all the latest news from the world of maths.