A chap called Dixon Crews has posted to reddit’s maths section asking for help with a writing project.
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Conjoined Möbius Hat pattern by Woolly Thoughts
Pat Ashforth has written in to say that she’s released a new free knitting pattern for a Klein bottle hat with a – wait for it – twist!
Registration for the Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2013 is open
Following on from the huge success that was their inaugural competition earlier this year, mathematicians from the University of Manchester have put together another Cryptography Competition in honour of father of modern everything, Alan Turing.
This time, the competition is open to teams of school children from all over the UK, and comprises a six-chapter story featuring Alice and Bob Mike and Ellie, who get “caught up in a cryptographic adventure”. Solving all the puzzles and cracking the codes faster than other people gets you on the leader board, and there are prizes for being near the top as well as extra prizes for randomly-selected teams who’ve solved everything. (You know that since it’s a maths department, their randomisation algorithms will be top-notch). It’s also possible to enter as a non-schoolchild, and check your answers on the site, although you won’t be eligible for prizes. The competition is aimed at UK school years 7-11 (age 11-16), although I can confirm it’s dead good fun for anyone interested in cryptography puzzles themed around exciting storylines.
More information
Alan Turing Cryptography Competition 2013
Manchester University press release
Via Nick Higham on Twitter.
A mathematical monologue
Described as an ‘off-Broadway hit’, the show has toured the US playing in universities and theatres, and is set in the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute at Berkeley. The show’s site features a trailer as well as a link to buy the DVD.
Peter Rowlett interviewed on mathblogging.org
Having featured interviews with two of our three editors in the past (see: Christian P here and Katie here), the lovely people at mathblogging.org have now completed the set and this week feature an interview with “the Bill Bryson of mathematics” (source: overheard at the Maths Jam conference), our own Peter Rowlett.
Why and when did Peter start blogging? Does anything still exist in maths he hasn’t yet blogged about? Find out in ‘Mathematical Instruments: Travels in a Mathematical World‘.
New York Museum of Mathematics opening weekend tickets now on sale
UK-based fans of the proposed UK Maths Museum will be exceedingly jealous to hear that New York’s mathematical visitor attraction, MoMath (the National Museum of Mathematics), is opening this month. Their opening weekend is 15th-16th December, and tickets are now on sale if you want to attend either day to take in their exhibits and activities.
For a taster of what the museum will be like, Time Out has a slide show of exciting pictures alongside a review.
For more information about the museum, visit their website at momath.org, or follow them on Twitter @MoMath1.
Math/Maths 122: Subliminal Mathematics
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: Advent at Plus and Numberphile; Math Shows Penguins Only Care About Themselves; What Willy Loman Could Learn From the Birds and Bees; Mathematical Counseling for All Who Wonder Why Their Relationship Is Like a Sinus Wave; World Record Rubik’s Cube Solve; Your Unconscious Brain Can Do Math, Process Language; Enigma coding machine beats auction estimate in London; Petition: Implement a Policy for Declassifying Discoveries by NSA Mathematicians; The 100 Year Publishing Project; The Museum of Mathematics Tickets and First look; and more. Support the ACMEScience Kickstarter!
Get this episode: Math/Maths 122: Subliminal Mathematics