Article

Mathematical man Friday

Who knew that Robinson Crusoe contained a lost chapter about maths? Help us find the hidden mathematical references and win a prize!
Article

Struggling with chance

A 1 in 14 million chance to win the lottery, a 5% risk of cancer, a 50:50 chance of heads on a coin — we deal with probabilities all the time, but do they actually mean anything? We explore the philosophy of probability and ask whether the probabilities that come up in physics differ from those in every day life.
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The 2013 Plus advent calendar

Is it cold outside? Yes! The fire warm? Yes! Snow on its way? Yes! Do we love Christmas? YES! Celebrate the countdown with the Plus advent calendar featuring our favourite bits of maths. Now, what's behind today's door...?

Article

Physical finance

The fact that a sizeable proportion of the financial workforce is made up of physicists is one of the industry's best-kept secrets. We talk to Laura Tadrowski, who has made the leap from physics to finance.
Article

The life and numbers of Fibonacci

The Fibonacci sequence – 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ... – is one of the most famous pieces of mathematics. We see how these numbers appear in multiplying rabbits and bees, in the turns of sea shells and sunflower seeds, and how it all stemmed from a simple example in one of the most important books in Western mathematics.
Article

3D printing mathematics

Saul Schleimer and Henry Segerman show off some of their beautiful 3D printed mathematical structures.
Podcast

Mathematical theatre with X&Y

Mathematics and theatre are both imagined things that need to be consistent. So what better way to explore mathematical ideas than through theatre? We talk to Marcus du Sautoy, Victoria Gould and Dermot Keany about their new show, X&Y.
Article

The puzzle of time

Why does time only ever move in one direction? We talk to philosophers of physics Jeremy Butterfield and David Wallace, as well as the eminent Roger Penrose about the puzzle time poses to physicists and what it has to do with the Big Bang and the second law of thermodynamics.
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fractal

Do infinities exist in nature?

Is the Universe finite or infinite? Is there infinity inside a black hole? Is space infinitely divisible or is there a shortest length? We talk to philosophers and physicists to find out.
Article

The lost mathematicians: Numbers in the (not so) dark ages

A commonly held belief about medieval Europe is that academic pursuits had fallen into a dark age. The majority of scholars were churchmen, and their enquiry often related to some principle of church practice. But is there a value to respecting the tenacity of historic mathematicians?