Issue 161 of the Carnival of Mathematics, slightly belatedly rounding up blog posts from the month of August, and compiled by Alex, is now online at CoDiMa. The Carnival rounds up maths blog posts from all over the internet, including some from our own Aperiodical. See our Carnival of Mathematics page for more information.
Zeckendorf cup arithmetic
My 5-minute talk at the big MathsJam conference this weekend was about some stacking cups that my daughter is too young to appreciate. Here’s the really quick version, in just over a minute: I gave the answer at MathsJam, but the title of this post contains a big hint that should get you there with…
Baking Babylonian cuneiform tablets in gingerbread

The MathsJam conference has a baking competition. My friend the archaeologist Stephen O’Brien tweeted a while ago a link to a fun blog post ‘Edible Archaeology: Gingerbread Cuneiform Tablets‘. Babylonian tablets are among the earliest written evidence of mathematics that we have, and were produced by pressing a stylus into wet clay. So it was…
Kilogram definition to be changed to be based on Planck’s constant
A vote is taking place today at the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Paris, to change the definition of the unit of mass, the kilogram.
#Noethember continues

This month, we’re celebrating all things Emmy Noether, using the hashtag #Noethember to share daily sketches and drawings illustrating facts about Noether’s life. Since we’re halfway through the month, here’s a round-up of some of the hashtag action so far.
Young Researcher applications open for HLF 2019
The Heidelberg Laureate Forum is an annual gathering of maths and computer science prize laureates, including Abel Prize winners and Fields Medalists, together with 200 young researchers from across maths and computer science. It’s a great opportunity for the researchers to meet each other and the Laureates, and see talks from the leading lights in the field. From the HLF press release:
The 7th HLF will take place from September 22 to 27, 2019 […]. This prominent, versatile event combines scientific, social and outreach activities in a unique atmosphere, fuelled by comprehensive exchange and scientific inspiration. Laureate lectures, young researcher workshops and a structure welcoming unfettered discussions are the elements that compose the Forum’s platform.
Over the course of the weeklong conference, young researchers will be given the exclusive possibility to profoundly connect with their scientific role models and find out how the laureates made it to the top of their fields. As described by a young researcher, “It’s a life-changing experience. Getting the opportunity to actually speak to the laureates in close contact can really shape us.”
Applications are now open (until 15th February) for the 2019 HLF – if you are or know someone who’s an undergrad, postgrad or postdoc in maths or computer science who might enjoy a week away in scenic Bavaria with some of the world’s greatest mathematicians and computer scientists, applications can be made at application.heidelberg-laureate-forum.org.
Carnival of Mathematics 163
The next issue of the Carnival of Mathematics, rounding up blog posts from the month of October, and compiled by Elias, is now online at The Math Section. The Carnival rounds up maths blog posts from all over the internet, including some from our own Aperiodical. See our Carnival of Mathematics page for more information.