EDF Energy, one of the pantheon of Olympics sponsors, has opted to share its love for energy through its ‘Energy of the Nation’ project, launched earlier this week. By monitoring the nation’s positive and negative ‘energy’, by which they mean ‘things they are saying on Twitter’, they’ll turn the London Eye into a giant pie chart each evening at 9pm and display the results of the previous 24 hours’ sentiments over the course of 24 minutes. While my approval of such a large act of data representation is practically off the (pie) chart, I’m interested to find out how it works before judging it either way.
You're reading: Yearly Archives: 2012
EngageU Recognition of Distinction for Maths Busking
The Maths Busking project recently won a Recognition of Distinction at the EngageU awards. As one of the Maths Busking team, I’d like to shout about this, so here’s a quick interview I had with the project’s director Sara Santos about the award and the project.
What is Maths Busking?
Sara: Maths Busking is a new form of mathematics communication via the medium of street performance.
Math/Maths 105: Dolphins, Fruit flies & Lizard-inspired Robots
A new episode of the Math/Maths Podcast has been released.
A conversation about mathematics between the UK and USA from Pulse-Project.org. This week Samuel and Peter spoke about: approximate number sense – in humans and bred into fruit flies; Dolphins Appear to do Nonlinear Mathematics; What does the way you count on your fingers say about your brain?; Obama Plans $1B Effort to Build ‘Master Teacher Corps’ of Elite Science and Math Teachers; Falling lizards use tail for mid-air twist, inspiring lizard-like ‘RightingBot’; Islamist Group in Timbuktu Poised To Destroy Rare Centuries-Old Texts on Science and Mathematics; New date for Maths Busking Training; Game of Life Google Easter Egg; Flatland^2: Sphereland to be shown at MathFest; London Mathematical Society Prizes 2012; MathsJam Conference open for registrations; crowdsourced errors in pi proof; and more.
Get this episode: Math/Maths 105: Dolphins, Fruit flies & Lizard-inspired Robots
Insect numeracy standards overtake KS2
In what must surely now be described as a classic maths news item, yet another species of animal has joined the ranks of things which can determine rank. This time it’s the humble fruit fly’s turn to tap its hoof the correct number of times, as these articles in The Metro and Nature (the two standard science references for their respective ends of the credibility spectrum) describe. Props to The Metro for an excellent headline pun.
Reframe
Reframe by Adam Scales, Pierre Berthelomeau, Paul van den Berg.
Capula Expanded Dodecahedron by Pedro Reyes
London Mathematical Society Prizes 2012
The London Mathematical Society has announced the recipients of its prizes, to be presented at the Society’s AGM in November.