Recent reports from Ofqual and Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI) highlight positives in the depth of content and takeup of A-Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics but an Ofsted report finds problems in earlier stage mathematics teaching.
Math/Maths 97: Travelling Salesman Movie Special
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 briefly to introduce this interview Samuel recorded with Timothy Lanzone, the writer and director of the forthcoming movie, Travelling Salesman. Get this episode: Math/Maths 97: Travelling Salesman Movie…
Sir Michael Atiyah and Cédric Villani talk at Tate Modern
Sir Michael Atiyah and Cédric Villani, Fields medallists, holders of a frankly embarrassing number of other awards, and highly entertaining speakers, will be having a conversation “to explore mathematics and topology” at Tate Modern, London, on June 2nd, following a screening of the film Au Bonheur des Maths.
All metro systems eventually have the same shape
The BBC and Scientific American report on a paper looking, “in an exploratory manner,” at the limiting shape of metro systems serving large cities. The BBC linked to the actual paper, which is nice of them. The Scientific American article goes into a bit more detail, though. The authors contend that rather than the shape of…
Modelling obesity
(No, this story is not about plus-size fashion week) The New York Times has published an interview with Carson C. Chow, an applied mathematician who models the factors causing obesity in the human body. He claims that the main cause of America’s obesity problem is the overproduction of food. Dr. Chow has written a post…
Modified packing problem might save lives
Unhelpful framing news, now. A University of Michigan of press release begins: A hidden facet of a math problem that goes back to timeworn Sanskrit manuscripts has just been exposed by nanotechnology researchers at the University of Michigan and the University of Connecticut.
Looking at mathematical literature as literature
Stanford University News have posted a press release/interview with Reviel Netz about his book Ludic Proof: Greek Mathematics and the Alexandrian Aesthetic.