To mark the Turing centenary (who isn’t?) a new competition has been launched: To celebrate this centenary, we have developed a collection of one-person games played on a Turing tape. An example is given on the competition website. According to a set of movement rules, the player must: Construct a sequence of moves that when…
Math Awareness Month: Mathematics, Statistics, and the Data Deluge
The American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics announce that the theme for Math Awareness Month, April 2012, is Mathematics, Statistics, and the Data Deluge.
Bacteria may “play” Prisoner’s Dilemma
The American Chemical Society (ACS) are reporting research presented at the 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of the ACS about game theory in bacteria. The research investigated chemical signals exchanged between cells, which the press release calls “chat”. The press release reports that: Faced with drought, radiation, over-crowding or other harsh environmental conditions, B. subtilis…
Infographic – Women in STEM
Feminist website Hello Ladies has posted an infographic, from EngineeringDegree.net, discussing the discrepancy in achievement between men and women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects. It’s beautifully presented, and compares the early attainment of boys and girls (higher for girls) and then the subsequent decline in both confidence and choosing STEM subjects. Draw your…
What sank the Titanic?
RMS Titanic, which sank on 15 April 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City, is the subject of seemingly a million TV programmes this month and a new article in Physics World. The article attempts to answer the obvious question: When people ask the question “What sank…
IMA W. Mids 17 April: ‘Routing Military Convoys’ by Andy Verity-Harrison
On 17th April 2012 the West Midlands Branch of the IMA will hear ‘Routing Military Convoys’ by Andy Verity-Harrison. in Birmingham near New Street railway station. Non-members welcome, no charge is made. Abstract: Current military operations emphasise the need for mobility more than ever. Thus, routing convoys so that they reach their correct destinations in…
Intersections: Art inspired by maths at the Science Museum
The Telegraph numeracy campaign has a review of Intersections, an exhibition available at The Mathematics Gallery at the Science Museum and at the Royal Society from 5 April to 20 June 2012, which “throws new light on the often overlooked common ground of art and maths”. The article writes about Henry Moore, who drew inspiration…