List by Author: Wim Hordijk

Why are sunsets red?
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The answer comes from the physics of waves.
The power of snooker
In preparation for this year's snooker world championship, Wim Hordijk finds some powerful maths behind snooker statistics...
From an ecologist's nightmare to a mathematician's dream
Tracing the path of invading species using a famous problem in graph theory.
Citizen science: Schumann resonances
Resonant electromagnetic waves, created by lightning flashes, circle the Earth. Wim Hordijk explores the maths and shows how you can keep track with these phenomena.
What's your problem?
There are problems that are easy to solve in theory, but impossible to solve in practice. Intrigued? Then join us on a journey through the world of complexity, all the way to the famous P versus NP conjecture.
Citizen science: The statistics of language
Whether you're aware of it or not, the language you use to express yourself follows strict mathematical principles.
Maths in a minute: Linear regression
A useful tool for spotting trends in data.
Citizen science: Facts or fake news?
A little bit of maths can go a long way in telling the truth from lies.
Spontaneous spirals
Simple mathematical rules can make for some interesting psychedelic science.
The mathematics of kindness
If only the fittest survive, how can we explain the evolution of altruism? Mathematics has some answers.
Evolution: It's as real as gravity!
Why evolution through natural selection is more than a mere "theory".
Preserving species in the face of climate change
Can mathematics predict the inevitable consequences of climate change? And more importantly, can it suggest ways to reduce, or even prevent some of these consequences?