Here’s a fun thing I found: the Journal of Number Theory has a YouTube channel on which it publishes video abstracts of its papers. To my surprise, they’ve been doing it since 2008!
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Get a grip on mathematical symbolism with Loughborough University
Here’s yet another intro to mathematical thinking MOOC. Loughborough University, and in particular Professor Tony Croft, is offering a course called “Getting a grip on mathematical symbolism” through the FutureLearn platform. It starts on the 28th of April.
There isn’t much information about the course online yet, apart from the brief description on the official website and this AV-services-tastic trailer:
[youtube url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BRUyltBCMU]
Since everything to do with popular maths has to pun (see also: literally any other page on this site), I can only assume that the course will end with the construction of a robotic hand or high-friction surface.
Tony Croft has a good pedigree with online learning resources: for many years he’s been in charge of maths support at Loughborough, including the invaluable mathcentre support site.
More information
Review(ish): Mathbreakers
We were first told about Mathbreakers a few months ago. It was at a very early stage of development, and it wouldn’t run on my PC. Now some time has passed, and I managed to run the most recent version last weekend. I’ve only played the demo, so a full review isn’t fair, but I thought I’d tell you about it in case you want to give it a go.
Warning: this post has like a bajillion animated GIFs in it. Your internet connection will suffer.
Mathbreakers is what I’d call an ‘edutainment’ game, though I think that term’s fallen out of favour. The developers, Imaginary Number Co., say it’s “a video game that teaches math through play”. It’s aimed at school kids, and deals with basic numeracy.
MC Hammer is mathematically untouchable
Happy birthday to MC Hammer who, at age 52, is now mathematically untouchable.
Math Awareness Month 2014
Hey, you! Are you aware of MATH?
Well, of course you’d say yes. But every year the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics runs a Math Awareness Month in April as an excuse to promote a load of great materials and events designed to attract other people to the subject.
James Grime’s house-building problem
Aperiodipal James Grime has put a new video on his YouTube channel. He’s got a problem to do with building houses:
But James posts fantastic videos about maths puzzles all the time; what’s so notable about this one?
I was involved, that’s what! The puzzle can be done on pen and paper but it involves a lot of drawing and calculating, so James asked if anyone could make a computery version. I spent my day off work last week making just such a thing: the computerised Building Houses Problem.
Yakov Sinai awarded the 2014 Abel Prize
Yakov Sinai. Photo © Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach, CC-BY-SA 2.0
The Abel Prize for 2014 has gone to Yakov Sinai of Princeton University, “for his fundamental contributions to dynamical systems, ergodic theory, and mathematical physics”.