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Two diagrams

Can you see the sound of a drum?

If you sprinkle sand on a vibrating plate it forms the most beautiful patterns. We explore why that happens, what it has to do with mathematical pioneer Sophie Germain, and how the question opens up a huge range of maths.

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Drum

Can you hear the shape of a drum?

The sound of a plucked string depends on how long it is, so you can hear the length of a string. But can you hear the shape of a drum? 

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Finding order in chaos

All of science can be regarded as motivated by the search for rules behind the randomness of nature, and attempts to make prediction in the presence of uncertainty. Chris Budd describes the search for pattern and order in chaos.
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