Applications are open for the 6th Heidelberg Laureate Forum

By Katie Steckles. Posted November 6, 2017

You may have noticed Aperiodical team members Paul and I were blogging from the Heidelberg Laureate Forum back in September. The HLF is an opportunity for young researchers (PhD, MSc and post-doc) to meet the winners of prestigious prizes in maths and computer science, including the Abel Prize, Fields Medal, ACM AM Turing Prize and Nevanlinna prize.

The next HLF will take place in September 2018, and applications open today for Young Researchers who want to participate. If you’re a maths or computer science researcher and want to be invited on a trip to Germany with lots of interesting talks, delicious food and good company, you can apply on the HLF website from today.

News

New maths board game Mind Your Numbers

By Katie Steckles. Posted November 4, 2017

You may recall a few years ago we posted about a crowdfunded mathematical board game called Three Sticks. Well, the team behind it are at it again and have a new concept for a game, called Mind Your Numbers.

The game involves using the numbers 1 to 9, and twelve symbols (three each of +,×,-,÷). The challenge is to combine the symbols and numbers in the right way to get a higher score than your opponent. It requires fast calculation, strategic thinking and a bit of luck.

Their IndieGoGo campaign hopes to raise enough money to go into production, and they have 7 days left to take pre-orders and donations in return for goodies. It’s also possible to make a donation which results in not you, but a worthy school in rural India, getting a copy of the game.

Watch the video below for an idea of how it works!

News

Braid groups win 2017 Dance Your PhD contest

By Katie Steckles. Posted November 3, 2017

If you hadn’t heard of Dance Your PhD, it’s one of many competitions open to researchers who want to communicate their work in interesting ways – although it’s unique in that it challenges people to interpret their research topic in the form of a dance.

Carnival of Mathematics

Carnival of Mathematics 151

By Katie Steckles. Posted November 3, 2017

The next issue of the Carnival of Mathematics, rounding up blog posts from the month of October, and compiled by Frederick, is now online at White Group Mathematics. 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.

Black Mathematician Month

Black Mathematician Month: Closing Ceremony

By Katie Steckles. Posted October 31, 2017

Below is an article marking the end of Black Mathematician Month, written by the team at UCL. We’ve been participating in the project too, and we’ve found it a great opportunity to invite new authors to write for our site and to showcase black mathematicians from the UK and elsewhere. We’ve posted several articles during…

News

Vi Hart is crowdfunding

By Katie Steckles. Posted October 30, 2017

If you appreciate the work of internet mathematician and hyperbolic virtual reality pioneer Vi Hart, or even if you’ve never heard of her before, you can now help support her work by subscribing to her Patreon. Vi Hart has never put any adverts on her videos or charged for her work until now, but since she’s stopped being employed by people who support that, she’s in need of your help. Check out the video below for details, or click the link below that to add your support.

Vi Hart’s Patreon page

Blackboard Bold

HLF Blogs: Is mathematics idealistic or realistic?

By Katie Steckles. Posted October 30, 2017

In September, Katie and Paul spent a week blogging from the Heidelberg Laureate Forum – a week-long maths conference where current young researchers in maths and computer science can meet and hear talks by top-level prize-winning researchers. For more information about the HLF, visit the Heidelberg Laureate Forum website. 5th Heidelberg Laureate Forum 2017, Heidelberg, Germany,…