divergence

Maths in a minute: Asymptotic expansions

Approximating a function with a divergent series.

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water drop
The power of small things: Resurgent asymptotics

If you ignore exponentially small terms they can come back to bite you.

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Stokes' phenomenon: An asymptotic adventure continued
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rainbow
Stokes's phenomenon: An asymptotic adventure

How a question about rainbows led to an entire field of mathematics.

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When things get weird with infinite sums

What is 1-1+1-1+1-1+...? How infinite sums challenge our notion of arithmetic.

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No limits for Usain

Usain Bolt, the "fastest man on the planet", aims to get his 100 metre world record of 9.58 seconds down to 9.40 seconds. What has mathematics got to say about this quest?

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icon
A disappearing number
Mathematics takes to the stage with A disappearing number, a work by Complicite, inspired by the mathematical collaboration of Hardy and Ramanujan. Rachel Thomas went to see the play, and explains some of the maths. You can also read her interview with Victoria Gould about how the show was created.
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An infinite series of surprises
Infinite series occupy a central and important place in mathematics. C. J. Sangwin shows us how eighteenth-century mathematician Leonhard Euler solved one of the foremost infinite series problems of his day.
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In perfect harmony
The harmonic series is far less widely known than the arithmetic and geometric series. However, it is linked to a good deal of fascinating mathematics, some challenging Olympiad problems, several surprising applications, and even a famous unsolved problem. John Webb applies some divergent thinking, taking in the weather, traffic flow and card shuffling along the way.
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  • A disappearing number
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    We talk about a play that explores the fascinating mathematical collaboration between the mathematicians GH Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan.