The University of Manchester is holding another cryptography competition (as featured in this news post earlier this week). We spoke to Charles Walkden, one of the competition’s organisers, about the project.
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Matt Parker’s Fractal Christmas Tree
Stand-up Mathematician and all-round maths lover Matt Parker has been busy again, and he’s made a set of free worksheets for teachers (and, of course, interested non-teachers) to assemble paper nets of 3D fractals, including a Menger sponge and Sierpinski tetrahedron (which I’ve just learned is also called a tetrix).
There’s also a sheet for making a delightfully festive/mathematical fractal Christmas tree, with a Menger sponge base, Sierpinski branches and a Koch Snowflake star on top. Presumably those interested can make Mandelbulb ornaments and Cantor Set tinsel to hang on it. Don’t ask me how that would work.
The worksheets can be downloaded from Matt’s Think Maths website.
Anyone who successfully builds the whole thing: send us a photo and we’ll post it here. Jokes about fractals taking a while to cut out/paint in the comments.
Math/Maths 123: Ups and Downs
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: Sir Patrick Moore, astronomer and broadcaster, dies aged 89; Ups and Downs of Making Elevators Go; Mathematical sciences research: leading the way to UK economic growth; What’s the Most Important Theorem; Plus Advent Calendar Door #9; Truth Values: One Girl’s Romp Through M.I.T.’s Male Math Maze; 2013 MAA Awards Recipients; Cryptography Competition goes nationwide in honour of Alan Turing; Math-O-Vision; MoMath Opening Weekend Tickets. Don’t forget to support the Kickstarter: ACMEScience.com by Samuel Hansen.
Get this episode: Math/Maths 123: Ups and Downs
Help a dude write an open-source calculus textbook (or use one of the many great ones already available)
A chap called Dixon Crews has posted to reddit’s maths section asking for help with a writing project.
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.