On a cold December night in 1976, a group of mathematicians assembled in a room in Trinity College Dublin for the inaugural meeting of the Irish Mathematical Society (IMS). Most European countries already had such societies, several going back hundreds of years, and it was felt that the establishment of an Irish society to promote … Continue reading The Social Side of Mathematics
Tag: Education
The Vastness of Mathematics: No One Knows it All
No one person can have mastery of the entirety of mathematics. The subject has become so vast that the best that can be achieved is a general understanding and appreciation of the main branches together with expertise in one or two areas [TM174 or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com]. In the sciences, old theories fade away … Continue reading The Vastness of Mathematics: No One Knows it All
Learning Maths without even Trying
Children have an almost limitless capacity to absorb knowledge if it is presented in an appealing and entertaining manner. Mathematics can be daunting, but it is possible to convey key ideas visually so that they are instantly accessible. Visiting Explorium recently, I saw such a visual display demonstrating the theorem of Pythagoras, which, according to … Continue reading Learning Maths without even Trying
Who Uses Maths? Almost Everyone!
In the midst of Maths Week Ireland, many students may be asking “What use is mathematics and what purpose is served by studying it?” Mathematicians often stress the inherent beauty and intellectual charm of the subject, but that is unlikely to persuade many people, who demand to know how mathematics can be of use and … Continue reading Who Uses Maths? Almost Everyone!
Tom Lehrer: Comical Musical Mathematical Genius
Tom Lehrer, mathematician, singer, songwriter and satirist, was born in New York ninety years ago. He was active in public performance for about 25 years from 1945 to 1970. He is most renowned for his hilarious satirical songs, many of which he recorded and which are available today on YouTube [see TM147, or search for “thatsmaths” … Continue reading Tom Lehrer: Comical Musical Mathematical Genius
Mathematics at the Science Museum
The new Winton Gallery at London's Science Museum in South Kensington holds a permanent display on the history of mathematics over the past 400 years. The exhibition shows how mathematics has underpinned astronomy, navigation and surveying in the past, and how it continues to pervade the modern world [see TM139, or search for “thatsmaths” at … Continue reading Mathematics at the Science Museum
Learning Maths has never been Easier
Maths is hard: many people find it inscrutable and have negative attitudes towards maths. They may have bad memories of school maths or have been told they lack mathematical talents. This is unfortunate: we all have the capacity to apply reasoning and logic and we can all do maths. Given the vital role mathematics plays … Continue reading Learning Maths has never been Easier
When Roughly Right is Good Enough
How high is Liberty Hall? How fast does human hair grow? How many A4 sheets of paper would cover Ireland? How many people in the world are talking on their mobile phones right now? These questions seem impossible to answer but, using basic knowledge and simple logic, we can make a good guess at the … Continue reading When Roughly Right is Good Enough
Computers Speaking in Irish
Most of us use computer terminals, tablets and smart phones, absorbing information quickly and easily. How do the many thousands of Irish people who are blind or visually impaired manage to interact with computers? For them, entering data by keyboard or voice is easy, but special software is needed to convert the text on screen … Continue reading Computers Speaking in Irish
You Can Do Maths
Bragging about mathematical ineptitude is not cool. There is nothing admirable about ignorance and incompetence. Moreover, everyone thinks mathematically all the time, even if they are not aware of it. Can we all do maths? Yes, we can! [See this week’s That’s Maths column (TM064) or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com]. We use simple arithmetic … Continue reading You Can Do Maths
Euclid in Technicolor
The article in this week’s That’s Maths column in the Irish Times ( TM039 ) is about Oliver Byrne's amazing technicolor Elements of Euclid, recently re-published by Taschen. Oliver Byrne (1810–1890), a Victorian civil engineer, was a prolific writer on science. He published more than twenty books on mathematics and several more on mechanics. The … Continue reading Euclid in Technicolor
Irish Maths Week 2013
This week's That's Maths in The Irish Times ( TM028 ) is all about Maths Week, a major event in the calender of mathematics in Ireland. Over the coming weeks information and announcements about the event will appear on the website for the event (click the logo below): Maths Week, October 2013 With the new … Continue reading Irish Maths Week 2013
Matholympic Heroes
That’s Maths in the Irish Times this week ( TM025 ) is about the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which takes place in Santa Marta, Columbia next week. Every year, bright young students from around the world compete in solving tough mathematical problems. The 54th IMO will be held in Colombia next week and a team … Continue reading Matholympic Heroes
Wrangling and the Tripos
The Mathematical Tripos examinations, and the Wranglers who achieve honours in them, are the topic of the That's Maths column ( TM023 ) in the Irish Times this week. Today (20/06/13) the results of the final examinations in mathematics will be read out at the Senate House in Cambridge University. Following tradition, the class list … Continue reading Wrangling and the Tripos
Where Circles are Square
Imagine a world where circles are square and π is equal to 4. Strange as it seems, we live in such a world: urban geometry is determined by the pattern of streets in a typical city grid and distance "as the crow flies" is not the distance that we have to travel from place to … Continue reading Where Circles are Square
Khan Academy
This week, That's Maths (TM005) discusses the large range of maths education videos that are available free of charge from the Khan Academy website. There are about 3,200 tutorials, covering the whole range of second-level mathematics. Salman Khan's Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) presentation is available on-line: Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education. There are … Continue reading Khan Academy
The Two Cultures
The Two Cultures Of course I've heard of Beethoven, but who is this guy Gauss? The “Two Cultures”, introduced by the British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow in an influential Rede Lecture in 1959, are still relevant. Ludwig von Beethoven and Carl Friedrich Gauss were at the height of their creativity in the early … Continue reading The Two Cultures
Irish Times Articles
"That's Maths", a new series of articles on mathematics and its importance in society, will be published in the Irish Times, starting on 19 July 2012. The initial article, at TM001, looks at the statistics of Usain Bolt's performance in the 100m and the prospects for a new record at the London Olympics. The column … Continue reading Irish Times Articles
ThatsMaths 