Reader of the site Bhaskar Hari Phadke has written in to tell us this fun fact about the number $25641$. It’s easier to show than to describe, so here goes: \begin{align} 25641 \times \color{blue}{1} \times 4 &= \color{blue}{1}02564 \\ 25641 \times \color{blue}{2} \times 4 &= \color{blue}{2}05128 \\ 25641 \times \color{blue}{3} \times 4 &= \color{blue}{3}07692 \\ 25641 \times…
Carnival of Mathematics 139
The next issue of the Carnival of Mathematics, rounding up blog posts from the month of September, and compiled by Manjil, is now online at Gonit Sora. 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.
“π – It’s Complicated” – a talk I gave on Pi Day 2016 at Ustinov College Café Scientifique
I was invited to give a talk for Ustinov College’s Café Scientifique on π Day this year. The turnout wasn’t great and I put quite a bit of effort into the slides, so I wanted to put it online. I’ve finally got hold of the recording, so here it is. Unfortunately they didn’t set the camera’s…
Maths at the Manchester Science Festival 2016
Here’s our annual round-up of what’s happening in sums/thinking at this year’s Manchester Science Festival. If you’re local, or will be in the area around 20th-30th October, here’s our picks of the finest number-based shows, talks and events.
Puzzlebomb – October 2016
Puzzlebomb is a monthly puzzle compendium. Issue 58 of Puzzlebomb, for October 2016, can be found here: Puzzlebomb – Issue 58 – October 2016 (printer-friendly version) The solutions to Issue 58 can be found here: Puzzlebomb – Solutions 58 – October 2016 (printer-friendly version) Previous issues of Puzzlebomb, and their solutions, can be found here.
Best way to explain topology: now officially ‘using baked goods’
Nobel Prize news! The 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to a trio of physicists: Michael Kosterlitz, Duncan Haldane and David Thouless, “for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter”. And here’s the maths angle – their work is in the field of topological physics, which relates strange matter (superconductors, superfluids…
The world’s smallest Rubik’s cube is 5.6mm wide and absolutely adorable
I just found this video of a very focused man showing off a teeny tiny Rubik’s cube. It’s 5.6mm on each side, which apparently makes it the smallest in the world, beating some relatively gigantesque efforts of 6mm and larger. Watch this video; I’ll warn you now that the squee factor gives way to some…