Articles

The calculus of the complex

Calculus has long been key to describing the world. Now fractional calculus is providing new ways of describing complex systems.

The Abel Prize 2022: Dennis Sullivan

This year's Abel Prize goes to the "true virtuoso" Dennis Sullivan.

Maths in a minute: Topology

When you let go of the notions of distance, area, and angles, all you are left with is holes.

Knowing when to quit

Whether you are a bird hunting caterpillars or a neuron processing information, the marginal value theorem helps you maximise your bang per buck.

How maths can help you get ahead of the S-curve

The maths behind the S-curves that allow us to tell if a new variant is on the rise.

Logistic growth: The mathematics of COVID variants

How to tell quickly if a new variant is on the rise.

Celebrate pi day with game theory!

We start the party by delving into the fascinating world of game theory.

The STEM for BRITAIN awards

Early career researchers have presented their work to politicians at the Houses of Parliament.

Can game theory help to vaccinate the world?

Game theory suggests that sharing vaccine doses might give a selfish, as well as moral, advantage.

Happy International Women's day 2022!

We celebrate by revisiting some of the articles and podcasts we have produced with female mathematicians over the last year.

The Moon once churned an ocean of slushy magma

A new model of the formation of the Moon's crust finally explains the diversity and range of ages of rocks found on the lunar surface.

Understanding the diversity of forests using AI

New techniques in artificial intelligence are helping assess the diversity of forests.

  • Want facts and want them fast? Our Maths in a minute series explores key mathematical concepts in just a few words.

  • What do chocolate and mayonnaise have in common? It's maths! Find out how in this podcast featuring engineer Valerie Pinfield.

  • Is it possible to write unique music with the limited quantity of notes and chords available? We ask musician Oli Freke!

  • How can maths help to understand the Southern Ocean, a vital component of the Earth's climate system?

  • Was the mathematical modelling projecting the course of the pandemic too pessimistic, or were the projections justified? Matt Keeling tells our colleagues from SBIDER about the COVID models that fed into public policy.

  • PhD student Daniel Kreuter tells us about his work on the BloodCounts! project, which uses maths to make optimal use of the billions of blood tests performed every year around the globe.