Can we talk maths in public … and get away with it? Chris Budd

1. Can we talk maths in public … and get away with it? Chris Budd

2. Most people don’t realise how important maths is! And they are scared of maths • Young people and their parents and teachers • Politicians and industry • Research Councils • It is essential that we convince them otherwise • If not we will have no influence, funding and no students!!! Talk will: provide some motivation, and describe some activities in the UK

3. So .. How do we get the message across that maths is important, fun, beautiful, powerful, challenging, all around us and central to civilisation? • Why is it so hard to do this? • What maths can we tell everyone about? • What is being done in the UK? • What works and what doesn’t?

4. Let’s face it, we have a problem • Maths genuinely is hard, can be scary, and requires thought and it is extremely easy to kill off your audience • Maths isn’t as easy to talk about as sex and violence (see later) • The media often makes fun of maths or simply doesn’t understand it! • Too much junk maths around eg. Golden ratio • Mathematicians have often been our own worst enemies, thinking that maths is best kept as useless as possible and communicating its power is a poor substitute for proving theorems … see Hardy!

5. Things that I have found to have worked to overcome this tactically in talks workshops and articles • Starting with an application relevant to everyone’s lives and then showing the maths involved eg. Mazes, • Being proud of our subject! • Showing that maths is highly creative • Linking maths and art and culture • Linking maths to real people • Not being afraid to present the audience with a real formula or real mathematics!!!

6. Example one: Why maths is useful! Ways that maths has changed the modern world Maxwell: Electromagnetism … radio, TV, radar, mobile phones Google Galois Matrices, eigenvalues Finite Fields, Error correcting codes

7. Mathematicians invented the computer

8. Example 2: Mathematicians save lives! Florence Nightingale Radon 1917

9. Mathematics can look inside you Modern CAT scanner CAT scanners work by casting many shadows with X-rays and using maths to assemble these into a picture: Sudoku, Inverse problems Also used to X-ray mummies Detect land mines Save bees

10. Example 3: Mathematicians have soul Some musical notes sound better when played together than others The octave C to C The notes C and G (a perfect 5th) The notes C and F (a perfect 4th) The notes C and E (a major 3rd)

11. Reason was discovered by Pythagoras Length of strings giving C and G, C and E, C and F were in simple fractional proportions C:C … 2/1 C:G … 3/2 C:F … 4/3 C:E … 5/4 Pythagoras invented the Just Diatonic Scale .. Sequence of notes with frequencies in simple fractional proportions

12. Problem: Keyboard instruments could only be tuned for one key Mathematicians invented a new Well Tempered scale with all note frequencies in the same proportion a geometric progression ratio: which works well in all keys … J.S. Bach

13. What is being done in the UK to address these issues?

14. Maths Champions • Mathematicians can be great communicators .. Some UK examples • Christopher Zeeman … Books, radio, TV, RI • Hannah Fry … Books, TV, shows • Ian Stewart … Books, radio, TV, RI • Vicky Neale … Schools, contests (girls) radio • Julia Collins … Maths blog, talks, Scotland • Marcus du Sautoy … Books, radio, TV, RI, • Dr Maths .. News column, Maths in the Mall • Kjartan Poskitt .. Murderous Maths Books • Sara Santos, Katie Steckles .. Maths busking • Matt Parker .. Books, radio, stand up comedy talks, YouTube • David Acheson .. Books and talks • Rob Eastaway, Ben Sparks .. Books, puzzles, theatre shows • David Spiegelhalter .. Risk show, talks, media • Colin Wright .. Juggling, Maths Jam • James Grime .. Talks, YouTube • Simon Singh .. Books, TV, schools, media, policy

15. RI MathsMasterclasses .. For talented young people RI Classes founded by Christopher Zeeman • 50+ Saturday morning classes for 100 young people • aged 13 • Mixture of talk and hands on workshops • Based in a university, linked to local schools • Huge variety of topics eg. Mazes*, codes*, deep sea diving, dancing • * Involve sex and violence!

16. Maths Competitions UKMT Team Maths Challenge, Kangeroo BMO EGMO IMO MathsCamps and Maths Circles Cipher Challenge

17. Science fairs Traditionally maths is under represented at science fairs Eg. Cheltenham .. Only one maths event! But the British Science Festival now has a number of maths events .. Eg. 2015 Maths of Love by Hannah Fry Bath Taps Into Science … 1/3 of exhibits are hands on maths 2014 First UK Dedicated (hands on) Maths Festival (Manchester)

18. Involving Undergraduates as maths ambassadors • Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme UAS: Simon Singh • Bath ‘Maths Communicators’: • 25 Students do a Masterclass, take part in Bath Taps, take a school lesson and do a written activity • All for degree credit • MMG, HE-STEM

19. Working with policy makers Maths Matters (IMA) Climate (CliMathNet, MOPE, MCRN) Big Data, Risk, Security, 8 Great Technologies ESGI Parliamentary Science Ctee LMS (Public Lectures), IMA, RSS INI, ATI, ICMS, RI

21. Other mechanisms • Direct engagement with schools • Widening participation, FMSP • Museums • New maths gallery at the Science Museum and MWUK • Writing popular books and other resources • INTERNET … Plus Maths, NumberPhile, MMP, NRICH • Maths Inspiration • (Rob Eastaway)

22. What works? Almost anything, provided it is done with energy, enthusiasm and commitment

23. What doesn’t • Being too technical .. Steer clear of Sobolev spaces • Not being technical enough .. Don’t be afraid to stretch and challenge your audience .. Young people love puzzles • Being too defensive • Having junk and missing the good stuff • Talking about it rather than doing it

24. Above all Just do it .. If you’re not doing it then you’re not doing it! Maths is not a spectator sport Have fun We have a great story to tell .. Let’s tell it