Articles

Maths in a minute: The positive predictive valueWhen you receive a positive test result for a disease, the chance you actually have it depends on how common the disease is.

Tony Hoare: Beyond QuicksortImagine a world without computer errors. Tony Hoare, inventor of the famous Quicksort algorithm, is working on making it possible.

Happy birthday Quicksort!Quicksort is a famous algorithm which celebrates its 60th birthday this year. We explore its clever workings.

Happy birthday Quicksort: Starting with bubblesNext month sees the 60th birthday of a famous algorithm called Quicksort. Its inventor Tony Hoare told us that it all started with bubbles.

The shower equation: Dealing with delayMany processes, including climate change and the spread of COVID-19, involve a delay. Here's a beautiful equation designed to model such processes.

Maths in a minute: AsymptotesCurves can be crazy, but asymptotes are nice and straight.

The physics of languageCan physics shed new light on understanding language? An exciting new approach that brings together theoretical physics, mathematics and computer science might give us a new way to capture what makes a language unique.

Will the virus escape the vaccines?Can the virus that causes COVID-19 mutate into a vaccine-resistant strain? And if yes, what would this mean for our vaccination strategy?

Counting rose petalsThe beautiful rose curve has an odd pattern to the number of its petals – this student and teacher team explain why...

Seeing traffic through new eyesUsing artificial intelligence to improve traffic, protecting the environment and human health.

Keeping up with COVID-19

Trying to work out the real time incidence of a disease in the middle of pandemic has never been done before, but the team behind the ONS COVID-19 Infection Survey have developed a way to do just that.

Using quantum mechanics to edit the pastAre you fascinated by the double slit experiment? Then hold on to your hat for Wheeler's delayed choice experiment.