These are the show notes for episode 16 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast. 16 is the only number of the form x^y=y^x with x and y as different integers, being both 2^4 and 4^2. More about the number 16 from Number Gossip. I visited the University of Greenwich last summer and spoke…
Podcast: Episode 15 – Maths news with Sarah Shepherd
These are the show notes for episode 15 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast . 15 is the number of letters in the words “uncopyrightable” and “dermatoglyphics”, which in English are the only two longest words there are without repeating a letter. This fact and more about the number 15 from Number Gossip.…
Maths = A Good Job
I was pointed to a piece in the New York Times which says that being a mathematician is the best job in the U.S. A study evaluated 200 occupations against five criteria: environment, income, employment outlook, physical demands and stress. Being a mathematician – a career path that the New York Times says provides a…
Membership pays
I was pointed recently to a piece from the Times that claims membership of a professional body can provide great economic benefits. Specifically, a report by the Consultative Committee for Professional Management Organisations gives the estimated lifetime economic benefit of holding a professional qualification at £81,000 and being a member of a professional institute at…
Mathematics Today February: University Liaison Officer’s Report
IMA Prize Winners IMA Prizes are awarded in UK universities which offer mathematics degrees, at the discretion of the university. In 2008 I conducted a survey of Prize giving practice among IMA University Representatives (27 responses; a 37% rate). All respondents awarded Prizes on some measure of academic excellence (all 22 who answered that question),…
Careers talk at Greenwich
Yesterday I visited the University of Greenwich and gave a talk on mathematics careers. This was an enjoyable experience and seemed to go well. The format was that I was followed by a lecturer from Greenwich, Dr Mayur Patel, who gave a CV writing session. I think this format, combining a, hopefully, inspiring careers talk…
Podcast: Episode 14 – Paul Shepherd – Parametric Geometry Generation
These are the show notes for episode 14 of the Travels in a Mathematical World podcast. 14 is the the largest number for which there are as many composite numbers less than it as there are primes. This week on the podcast we hear from Dr. Paul Shepherd of the University of Bath. Paul is…