Mathematics is everywhere. We are often unaware of it but, when we observe our environment consciously, we can see mathematical structures all around us. Recently, while waiting for a train in Blackrock Station (Co Dublin), I photographed various objects in and around the station. There were circles and squares all about, parallel planes and lines, hexagons … Continue reading Mathematics Everywhere (in Blackrock Station)
Month: May 2016
Andrew Wiles wins 2016 Abel Prize
A recent post described the Abel Prize, effectively the Nobel Prize for Mathematics, and promised a further post when the 2016 winner was announced. This is the follow-up post [also at TM091, or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com]. Next Tuesday, HRH Crown Prince Haakon will present the Abel Medal to Sir Andrew Wiles at a ceremony … Continue reading Andrew Wiles wins 2016 Abel Prize
Ramanujan’s Astonishing Knowledge of 1729
Question: What is the connection between Ramanujan's number 1729 and Fermat's Last Theorem? For the answer, read on. The story of how Srinivasa Ramanujan responded to G. H. Hardy's comment on the number of a taxi is familiar to all mathematicians. With the recent appearance of the film The Man who Knew Infinity, this curious … Continue reading Ramanujan’s Astonishing Knowledge of 1729
Modelling Rogue Waves
There are many eyewitness accounts by mariners of gigantic waves – almost vertical walls of water towering over ocean-going ships – that appear from nowhere and do great damage, sometimes destroying large vessels completely. Oceanographers, who have had no way of explaining these 'rogue waves', have in the past been dismissive of these reports [TM090, or search for … Continue reading Modelling Rogue Waves
ThatsMaths 