This week, the Freakonomics blog covered research by Stockholm University’s Kimmo Eriksson, which found that including a mathematical equation in the abstract of a research paper made scholars from different fields judge the research to be ‘of higher quality’, even though the equation is unrelated to the work and also complete nonsense. The study included 200 participants, although the amount by which the equation increased the perceived ‘quality’ of research varied between disciplines, and in fact caused a slight decrease for people working in mathematics or science subjects.
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Math/Maths 127: Hiatus Begins
A new episode of the Math/Maths Podcast has been released.
A conversation about mathematics between the UK and USA from Pulse-Project.org. The podcast is going on hiatus for a few months, so Samuel and Peter give a short goodbye, with: mathematical Christmas presents; a list of back-episodes to listen to on special topics or with special guests; other podcasts to try; what they’re doing for the next six months; and a heartfelt thanks and goodbye.
Get this episode: Math/Maths 127: Hiatus Begins
The Aperiodical’s Possibly Annual Awards for Mathematical Achievement
Christian Perfect: 2012 was an alright year. At the very least, all of it happened, which is better than some had predicted. And since 2012 did happen, we are obliged by the Laws of Something to give out some awards.
Katie Steckles: Of course, the most noteworthy thing which happened in 2012 was the creation of an amazing mathematical blogging website, but I don’t mean to go on too much about that. Anyway, we’ve gathered together some candidates for some categories we made up, and will decide on our favourites via the process of arguing.
CP: Allons-y!
2013: I can be the year of stuff too!
2013 will be the first year since 1987 in which all digits are different from one-another.
— The QI Elves (@qikipedia) December 31, 2012
In case you were bored of hearing that amazing ‘mathematical’ fact number coincidence, don’t worry – 2013 is mathematical for other reasons. Even though we’ve run out of Alan Turing Centenary year, and the slightly-under-mentioned Poincaré Centenary year, apparently 2013 is both The International Year of Statistics (Statistics2013) and the year of scientific collaboration project Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013. Watch out for upcoming events related to both!
Carnival of Mathematics 94
Welcome to the 94th Carnival of Mathematics! This month the carnival has once again trundled in to Blackboard Bold at the Aperiodical, though this time with myself rather than Katie at the helm (carnivals have helms).
Möbius house
Since the Möbius band is such a cool object, it follows that anything made from a Möbius band or in the shape of a Möbius band is therefore also supercool. Also: the bigger, the better. So how about a Möbius house?
Korean architects Planning Korea have come up with a scale model and computer generated images of an amazing house based on the one-sided wonder, which uses the face of the Möbius strip as the roof and walls, with the front and back of the house covered in glass windows. It would take twice as long to paint the outside of your house (it’s also the inside), but otherwise you’d be sitting pretty. I do hope that’s a Möbius shed visible in the background, and a probability tree in the garden.
If you’re looking for something to sit on in your non-orientable domicile – presumably, while wearing your Conjoined Möbius Hat – there’s always this chair, which was incorrectly identified as being a Möbius strip by NotCot, and features a distinctly Möbiusy-looking wooden frame with coloured hanging net, to throw yourself into at the end of a long day of one-sided arguments and twisted stripping (don’t ask).
Dancing shapes by Carlo Vega
[vimeo url=http://vimeo.com/56524400]
Inspired by the great Geometry Daily blog.