Readers may be aware of the Duckworth/Lewis method for deciding how many runs the second team should score in a game of cricket foreshortened by rain, in order to beat the first team; a triumph of communicating complex mathematical ideas to a lay audience, described in an article by Frank Duckworth. Duckworth describes some of the…
Mirror which could eliminate drivers’ blind spot receives US patent
A problem in optics has lead to a US patent for a car side mirror which “eliminates the dangerous ‘blind spot’” and “dramatically increases the field of view with minimal distortion” by finding approximate solutions for “the problem of controlling a single ray bundle with a single reflector”.
The Turing Solution: radio documentary
The Turing Solution, a BBC Radio 4 documentary presented by Matt Parker covering “mathematician and code-breaker Alan Turing, and his role in the invention of the computer”, was broadcast last week and is currently available on BBC iPlayer. A quick (28 min) biography covering various aspects of his life and work (particularly including his mathematics…
Sir Tim Gowers
The latest Queen’s Birthday Honours list has been released. The list includes, under “Knights Bachelor – Knighthoods”, “Professor William Timothy Gowers, FRS, Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge” for “services to Mathematics” and, under “Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)”, “Mrs Manju Tank, Maths…
James Grime: Campaign for the Turing Tenner
James Grime has come out in support of the campaign to put Alan Turing on the £10 note. He explains about this in a new video. [youtube url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHko_-QKrFY]
Good Practice Scheme to support women in mathematics
The London Mathematical Society (LMS) have developed a “Good Practice Scheme” which aims to help university mathematics departments “to take practical actions to improve the participation of women and to share examples of good practice with other departments.”
MAA MathFest 2012
MathFest, the annual summer meeting of the Mathematical Association of America which “offers a substantial mathematical program that promises to be informative, inspiring, and productive”, will take place from 2nd-4th August in Madison, Wisconsin. This promises Educational Programs, Informative Sessions, Dynamic Exhibits, Memorable Collaborations, Engaging Meetings, Special Events and Activities, Plenty of Mathematics FUN, …and…