mathematics in the media
A new series of More or Less, BBC Radio 4's series devoted to all things numerical, starts on November 12th. Presenter Andrew Dilnot tells Plus about the motivation behind the programme.
The work of Donald Coxeter, who died on 31 March 2003, will continue to inspire both mathematicians and artists.
Can Dan Goldston and Cem Yalcin Yildrim repair the hole in their proof to make the biggest breakthrough in prime number theory for 80 years?
If you had a crystal ball that allowed you to see your future, what would you arrange differently about your finances? Plus talks to the Government Actuary, Chris Daykin about the pensions crisis, and how actuaries use statistical and modelling techniques to plan for all our futures.
As the largest experiment ever conducted on GM crops ends, environmentalists are concerned that the maths might not add up.
In this issue we illuminate logic, find out why everything's relative, take a journey on the interplanetary superhighway, and maybe even encounter extraterrestrial life.
What is maths? Is it an art form with every idea a work of perfect beauty? Is it a quest for truth that may one day deliver a Theory of Everything? Or is it a tool, essential in anything from fighting crime to calculating airline ticket prices? In this issue we show you that it's all of these, and that it can even produce its own media superstars.
The image on the left shows artist Carla Farsi's painting The birth of Hiroshima.
One hundred years ago, in 1905, Albert Einstein changed physics forever with his special theory of relativity. Since then his name — and hair do — have become synonymous with genius. John D Barrow looks at Einstein as a media star.
This issue is all about movement and beauty. There's a recipe for the perfect free kick, instructions on how to trick gravity, an exploration of the amazingly intricate Mandelbrot set and its pretty cousins, the Julia sets, and a mathematical look at the harmonies of music. And if you're interested in the movements in your bank account, there's an article investigating what makes markets stable.
"Lies, damned lies, and statistics..." Ben Parker tells us how to tell good statistics from bad, and make sure your cat is well-fed.
What's the risk of passive smoking? Or climate change? How big is the terrorist threat? And should we trust league tables? These issues concern all of us, but it's not always easy to make sense of the barrage of media information. David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk, gives Plus his take on uncertainty.
In the first of our tenth birthday year issues, Plus is celebrating the very best that maths has to offer. If you've ever wanted to fly with the birds and swim with the fishes, get the inside knowledge on great London landmarks or just enjoy going to the movies, then this is the issue for you. And we also say happy birthday to the great mathematician Leonard Euler.
Plus magazine is celebrating its 10th birthday. To mark the occasion, the founding editors of Plus look back on the beginnings, see what has changed in maths and public understanding of maths and pick out some of the articles they liked best.
Plus celebrates its tenth birthday this year. Former editor and present executive editor of Plus, Robert Hunt, explores how maths popularisation in general, and Plus in particular, have changed over the last ten years.
Former Plus editor Helen Joyce explains how Plus made it big as a part of our series to celebrate Plus's tenth anniversary.
NHS budgets, third world debt, predictions of global warming, inflation, Iraqi war dead, the decline of fish stocks or hedgehogs, the threat of cancer — there's hardly a subject people care about that comes without measurements, forecasts, rankings, statistics, targets, numbers of every variety. Do they illuminate or mislead? Introducing their new book, Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot take a look at numbers in the media and show that a little maths goes a long way in unravelling dodgy media claims.
Is geometry hard-wired into our brain?
The next total eclipse of the Sun will be in March 2006
Plus celebrates its 10th birthday!
How to interact with your music collection
More honours for the director of the Millennium Mathematics Project
The Plus career posters achieve TV fame
How many ancient forests are in your tank?
Plus celebrates its 10th birthday
Is maths succeeding in putting astronomical threats in perspective?
A new attempt to solve Hilbert's 16th problem is causing controversy.
Become a Plus author and win an iPod by joining our writing competition
How rappers interact
Is complex statistical evidence being presented properly in court?
The beautiful "Maths goes Underground" posters are back by popular demand.
A statistical study into Iraq war deaths sparks controversy
Visit the front-line of science at the BA Festival of Science and hear about the million dollar world of mathematical proof
Statisticians welcome a call to make official statistics independent - but can it really be done in one hour?
BBC documentary explores the International Mathematics Olympiad
Become a Plus author and win an iPod by joining our writing competition
The Further Mathematics Network and Rolls Royce combine for national mathematics poster competition
