MathsJam 2024 - Weekend of November 2nd/3rd
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The main https://MathsJam.com site contains up-to-date information
Here are this year's talk submissions. This ordering is provisional and may be subject to change.
SATURDAY
SESSION 1 : 14:00 - 14:40
- Speaker : Colin and others
- Title : Welcome to MathsJam 2020
- Abstract : Welcome, setting the scene, and generally getting underway
- Speaker : A - Alison Kiddle
- Title : Alison talks about mathematical origami
- Abstract : I've been doing lots of origami during lockdown, much of it mathematical. In this talk I will share some of the things I've made, and some of my musings, and show you how to make cool mathematical origami of your own.
- Speaker : B - Gavan Fantom
- Title : Approximating Simple Ratios with Irrational Numbers
- Abstract : We all know mathematicians like to approximate unwieldy values with nice simple integers and fractions. It turns out that it works both ways. But how? Why? Who even does this? What kind of perverse pleasure can be found in making the simplest of ratios more complicated? Stick around to find out!
- Speaker : C - Phil Ramsden
- Title : Ramsden's Bespoke Sliderules: Quality Craftsmanship Direct to the Trade
- Abstract : Before there were calculators, there were sliderules: physical devices that turned addition into multiplication. But not just multiplication. What maths can you do by making your sliderules bespoke, and who might have had a use for them?
- Speaker : D - Philipp Reinhard
- Title : Missing Pythagoras
- Abstract : Inspired by a painting by Eugen Jost I investigated triples that miss the Pythagoras theorem by 1 and I'd like to share some results involving the Fibonacci numbers, the Silver Ratio, triangle numbers and triples that actually are Pythagorean triples.
Break 14:40 - 15:10
Actual Break 15:10 - 15:30
SESSION 2 : 15:30 - 16:10
- Speaker : E - Miles Gould
- Title : Finding convex hulls with Graham's algorithm
- Abstract : Among the many giants that this ridiculous year has taken from us is the mathematician Ron Graham. He's best known for his work in discrete maths and in particular for Graham's Number, but he also worked in many other fields. I'll present his elegant 1972 algorithm for finding the convex hull of a 2D polygon.
- Speaker : A - Michael Borcherds
- Title : Factorising a quartic to prove something interesting about dice
- Abstract : Factorising a quartic to prove something interesting about dice.
- Speaker : B - Belgin Seymenoglu
- Title : Number Munchers
- Abstract : Belgin gets hooked on a classic maths game...in 16 bits!
- Speaker : C - James Arthur
- Title : Love: My insatiable desire to model everything.
- Abstract : A love life is difficult to handle and a lot to balance. It's a bit like having an egg and spoon balanced on your hand while trying to jump up and down repeatedly. I've always wanted to be able to understand a bit more about this and through Dynamical Systems I found an answer. In this talk I reveal the secrets I uncovered, by reading scholarly papers.
- Speaker : D - Gordon Hamilton
- Title : Mini Mathematical Universes
- Abstract : Mini Mathematical universes are the best way to teach the scientific method. The audience will poke around like scientists and test their hypotheses about how each universe works.
- Speaker : Saturday Night Tables
- Title : Elevator Pitches for Saturday Night Tables activities
- Abstract : The organisers of Saturday Night tables activities (taking place 8-9pm) will have a chance to explain/describe what they'll be doing.
Break 16:10 - 16:40
Actual Break 16:40 - 16:50
SESSION 3 16:50 - 17:30
- Speaker : B - Hannah Gray
- Title : Bridges & Banknotes
- Abstract : Following on from my Escher Museum talk last year, another interesting Dutch destination for when we can travel.
- Speaker : A - Pedro Freitas
- Title : Kepler and the Golden Ratio
- Abstract : Kepler's impressions about the Golden Ratio.
- Speaker : C - Douglas Butler
- Title : TSM Resources website - a major overhaul
- Abstract : I have been gathering material for my TSM Resources website for many years. This session will take you through the resources: useful images, excel-ready data, integer lists, Autograph files, video tutorials, general maths links, etc.
- Speaker : D - Alexander Bolton
- Title : The Element of Surprise
- Abstract : Some researchers came up with a strategy to beat state-of-the-art AI at a game by using a strategy that was not good but took the AI by surprise. I will discuss this game and how strategies that are bad but succeed because they are unexpected applies more generally.
- Speaker : E - Tiago Hirth
- Title : CIRM 1935/39
- Abstract : The first ever Recreational Mathematics meeting was held in Brussel followed by Paris. In tandem with the world fairs multiple mathematicians and maths enthusiasts gathered to exchange and have fun around and with maths ... sounds familiar? This is ongoing research in the History of Maths and I would love to exchange on the topic with others.
- Speaker : F - Francis Hunt
- Title : Navigating the Soma Cube map
- Abstract : How to build a Soma cube; Conway et al.'s hints, and navigating the Somap.
Break 17:30 - 18:00
Saturday Night Tables 8pm-9pm
SUNDAY
SESSION 4 : 09:30 - 10:10
- Speaker : A - Sam Hartburn
- Title : Spirally Flowers
- Abstract : Beautiful graphs produced by a slight variation on the rhodonea curve.
- Speaker : B - Martin Whitworth
- Title : A method for solving quadratic equations
- Abstract : How to solve quadratic equations with a straight edge and compasses, and thence to construct things such as regular pentagons and heptadecagons (left as an exercise for the reader).
- Speaker : C - Johnny Ball
- Title : Taking the square root of any number
- Abstract : By a simple geometric construction we can take the square root of any number
- Speaker : D - Peter Rowlett
- Title : nimsticks: making games with LaTeX and Lua
- Abstract : Nim is a game that involving picking sticks from piles. This talk will briefly cover Nim, representing it in LaTeX and programming game solutions in LuaLaTeX.
- Speaker : E - Tony Mann
- Title : A favourite mathematical magic trick from Martin Gardner
- Abstract : I will demonstrate my favourite mathematical magic trick from Martin Gardner's "Mathematics, Magic and Mystery".
- Speaker : F - Matt Parker
- Title : Matt Talks About A Thing
- Abstract :
Break 10:25 - 10:55
Actual Break 10:55 - 11:15
SESSION 5 : 11:15 - 12:10
- Speaker : A - Sophie Maclean
- Title : Puzzles and Polyominoes
- Abstract : A whistle-stop tour starting with the humble domino, and going all the way to infinity. Prepare to get stuck in with puzzles and problems, both solved and unsolved!
- Speaker : B - Adam Atkinson
- Title : Hamlet and Kepler
- Abstract : Thanks to Kepler I may have a new winning move in Hamlet!
- Speaker : C - Jorge Nuno Silva
- Title : OULIPO: a Portuguese conspiracy
- Abstract : The literary movement OULIPO, created in the past century, has a forgotten Portuguese forerunner from early 19th century. An iconic OULIPO landmark had already been created, and overseen, more than 100 years before...
- Speaker : D - Martin Harris
- Title : An Unappreciated Result and a Folding Puzzle
- Abstract : I link a result I derived as part of a random Maths class in school to a paper-folding puzzle I learned at an online MathsJam.
- Speaker : E - Justin Roughley
- Title : Equatum puzzles
- Abstract : A new type of puzzle, generalising and unifying several others.
- Speaker : F - Colin Wright
- Title : Revisiting the Mutilated Chessboard
- Abstract : The Mutilated Chessboard is an old favorite for an example of an impossibility proof, but exactly when can we cover a board with dominoes?
- Speaker : G - Christian Lawson-Perfect
- Title : Let's sort out this BODMAS nonsense once and for all
- Abstract : The BODMAS acronym for the order of operations is derided by many as "ambiguous", "hard to apply", and "not an acronym actually". Let's fix it.
Break 12:10 - 12:30
Lunch!
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