Collections

One of the beautiful things about maths is that every concept is part of a bigger picture — a picture that grows over time, transcends traditional boundaries, and often informs a range of real-world applications. The collections below aim to present some of these mathematical jigsaws by bringing together content exploring specific topics from different perspectives and at varying levels of depth.

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Stephen Hawking's birthday package

Stephen Hawking turned 70 in January 2012 and to celebrate, the University of Cambridge put on a scientific conference as well as a public symposium. Plus went along, of course, and here are the articles and podcast we have produced from the conferences. Happy reading and listening!
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Science fiction, science fact: Is there free will?

Is there such a thing as free will? In everyday life we all assume that there is: it's up to you whether you cheat in your tax return, and if you're caught, well then you deserve punishment. But when you look at it from a physics view point free will becomes a little tricky. Here's a collection of articles exploring free will.
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Mathematics and the nature of reality

How many universes are there? What has made us into who we are? Is there absolute truth? These are difficult questions, but mathematics has something to say about each of them. It can probe the physical reality that surrounds us, shed light on human interaction and psychology, and it answers, as well as raises, many of the philosophical questions our minds have allowed us to dream up. On this page we bring together articles and podcasts that examine what mathematics can say about the nature of the reality we live in.
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Teacher package: Game theory

Game theory is a great way of sneaking up on maths. You can start off playing an actual game, then start thinking about strategies, and before you know it you're doing proper maths, either conceptually or using equations and formulae. In this teacher package you'll find all our articles on game theory.
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Teacher package: Infinite series

One of the first bits of school maths that gives us a real glimpse of infinity are infinite series: those never-ending sums that may nevertheless add up to a finite number. For this teacher package we've brought together all our articles on these beautiful objects.
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Science fiction, science fact: reports from the frontiers of physics

What is time? What is space? Are there parallel universes? Join Plus and FQXi on a journey exploring these and many more questions on the frontiers of physics. What do you think is science fiction and what do you think we close to proving are science facts? Find out more about scientific developments in these areas, ask your own questions and debate the answers!
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Teacher package: Logic

In some sense, all of maths should come under the label "logic", but mathematical logic has shown that mathematics isn't entirely logical. Makes sense? If not, then this teacher package may help.
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The 2010 Plus advent calendar

It's not long until Christmas! To help you pass the time (or ease your nerves if you're stressed), we bring you the Plus advent calendar with a mathsy goody from the Plus archive lurking behind each door. Find out what's behind today's door...

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Teacher package: Mathematics in sport

This teacher package brings together all our articles that have to do with sport, from cricket to football and from the sport itself to sporting architecture and infrastructure.

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Do you know what's good for you: the next microscope

"Mathematics is biology's next microscope, only better." That's what the scientist Joel E Cohen once said of the power of mathematics to revolutionise biology and the biomedical sciences. And he was right. Maths enables scientists to understand complex organisms and diseases, it's crucial in developing sophisticated medical technology and materials, and we can even use it to model our psyche and intelligence. In this sense maths has become a genuine research instrument for biomedical sciences. The insight it gives them are on a par with the revolutionising power of the microscope.