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Some news from the world of capitalism: various maths people have things you can spend money on. Our roving reporters investigate.

Maths on Screen DVDsmaths on screen

 

Maths Inspiration, a maths theatre show which has been touring the country for a few years providing large-scale theatre shows for GCSE and A-Level students, has now released a set of DVDs of a special series of talks, which were filmed earlier this year.

The DVDs feature several top communicators from the world of maths and engineering, including Sky at Night presenter Lucie Green, Channel 4 documentary presenter Hugh Hunt and BBC Science expert Steve Mould, as well as friends of the Aperiodical Colin Wright and Matt Parker among others.

There are six DVDs, each featuring a show that lasts between 70 and 90 minutes, with two speakers and Matt Parker as the host. They cost £10 each, or the full set of all six discs can be bought for £50.

Buy: Maths Inspiration DVDs.

Colm Mulcahy’s maths card tricks book

colm book

Our very own Colm Mulcahy has been busy the last year or ten writing a big book all about magic tricks you can do with a pack of cards. It’s called Mathematical Card Magic: Fifty-Two New Effects and it came out on 4th September. Here’s the blurb:

Mathematical card effects offer both beginning and experienced magicians an opportunity to entertain with a minimum of props. Featuring mostly original creations, Mathematical Card Magic: Fifty-Two New Effects presents an entertaining look at new mathematically based card tricks.

Each chapter contains four card effects, generally starting with simple applications of a particular mathematical principle and ending with more complex ones. Practice a handful of the introductory effects and, in no time, you’ll establish your reputation as a “mathemagician.” Delve a little deeper into each chapter and the mathematics gets more interesting. The author explains the mathematics as needed in an easy-to-follow way. He also provides additional details, background, and suggestions for further explorations.

Suitable for recreational math buffs and amateur card lovers or as a text in a first-year seminar, this color book offers a diverse collection of new mathemagic principles and effects.

There’s even a little bit of CP and Cushing magic in the book – Colm has polished up our de Bruijn sequence trick for the book, and put it in context with the other de Bruijn-based tricks it was inspired by.

Buy the book: Mathematical Card Magic: Fifty-Two New Effects.

Watch Marcus dance!

x and y

No matter what we do, we can’t seem to stop him. Marcus’ new stage show, X & Y, is being performed at the Science Museum on 10th-16th October (excluing 14th). Based on an idea developed with edu-theatre experts Complicité, the show features show-off/mathematician Marcus du Sautoy and actress/mathematician Victoria Gould (a previous collaborator on Complicité’s play A Disappearing Number), who “use mathematics and the theatre to navigate the known and unknown reaches of our world”. Two of the dates include a post-show Q&A with Marcus and Victoria.

Tickets cost £20, with concessions and student tickets available at £15 and £10 respectively.

Book tickets: Twin Primes Theatre Company presents X & Y, 10th-16th October.

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