Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:29 Page 2

Oxford Mathematical Institute Spring 2009, Number 7 Newsletter

We hope that you How to boost global Applied Mathematics: enjoy receiving this annual newsletter. We would be The Oxford Centre for Collaborative and very interested to hear your views and comments and to Applied Mathematics receive contributions from any Oxford Alumni. In October 2007 the Global Research Partnership of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) announced that they would fund four $25 million interdisciplinary centres Please write to engaged in path-breaking research. Unusually, both Applied Mathematics and Computational The Editor Robin Wilson Science featured on the list of possible areas. MI Newsletter Mathematical Institute So four Oxford research groups – OCIAM and the 24–29 St Giles Centre for Mathematical Biology in the Oxford OX1 3LB Mathematical Institute, and Numerical Analysis and or send e-mails to Computational Biology from the Computing The Editor, c/o [email protected] Laboratory – set to work to write a proposal for the Oxford Centre for Collaborative and Applied Mathematics (OCCAM). Time was short and Designed by numerous hurdles had to be overcome, but in May Baseline Arts Ltd Oxford 2008 it was announced that OCCAM was to be one of the four KAUST centres. The hectic activity that characterised the submission process was focused John Ockendon (right) and by the partners’ joint vision of problem-driven Chris Breward are shown interdisciplinary research and its reliance, in the over the KAUST site which 21st century, on global networking. opens for students in September A The centre’s main aim is to promote interdisciplinary mathematics around the world and to address quantitative challenges in Chris Breward and John physical and biological sciences and from Ockendon in Jeddah, proudly displaying the OCCAM award. industry. It is run by members of the four core On the right is Nick Harberd groups who made the bid. (Plant Sciences), who was awarded a Personal OCCAM opened its doors in October 2008 with Conway © Stephen Photograph Investigator grant. C John Ockendon, as its Director and Chris Breward as Associate Director. The Centre is based in newly refurbished offices in the Gibson Building in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter and is already buzzing with new appointments – four research fellows, eight postdocs and four graduate students – as well as seconded faculty from the core research groups. There are still more appointments to come and there will be a grand opening at the end of June. Meanwhile the activity within OCCAM is already creating exciting collaborative links both within Oxford and further afield. (For more details, see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/groups/occam.) n Photograph © Stephen Conway © Stephen Photograph

OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 / 1 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:29 Page 3

Obituary

Professor Graham Higman, FRS Born 1917, died 2008; Graham Higman, who died last April, succeeded his former Balliol tutor and supervisor, Henry Whitehead, as Waynflete Professor of Pure Mathematics in 1960 after returning to Oxford as a reader in 1955.

Higman was one of the most significant Order Theorem was proved. Higman British group theorists of the twentieth realised that this represented the future century. He strongly held the view that of the subject, but he never fully pure mathematics should be studied for embraced it. Ever the maverick, he conference called them Higman 2- its beauty rather than its utility, and he embarked on a programme of odd groups. As Martin Powell exclaimed once remarked that finite group theorists characterisations of simple groups that when first shown Norman Blamey’s were the natural successors to the fuelled many a thesis, but neither these portrait, “That’s the Graham we all classical geometers though his own work nor his own work formed part of the know and love – I’ve proved a good spanned both finite and infinite groups. core attack on their classification. theorem, you lot do better!” Many a His thesis on integral group rings, However, his particular expertise led to seminar speaker was faced by this published in 1940, had arisen from a his construction of two of the sporadic portrait, hung in the Higman Room that geometric question in algebraic topology. groups, the third Janko group and was established to mark his retirement. His mathematical career was then Held’s group. interrupted while, after registering as a Higman was the second son of a He had numerous students; to each he conscientious objector, he served in the Methodist minister and took his gave individual attention, not with Meteorological Office in Northern Ireland upbringing seriously, becoming a local scheduled meetings, but with the and Gibraltar. When Max Newman was preacher in 1936 and officiating instruction that one should appear for building the mathematics department at regularly until 2001. When his wife, tea, attend colloquia and his advanced Manchester, Higman was appointed a Ivah, died in 1981, Higman himself gave class, and come to see him when one lecturer as part of an intensely research- the funeral address; then, as since, he had something to say or ask. He might oriented group of young mathematicians. thought deeply about the role of the be sitting calculating at his glass after-death in Christianity. Some recall a His most important early work was on blackboard, but he would always put phrase “One of the murkier areas of infinite groups, first in joint work with that aside to help the student and Christianity”. Bernhard and Hanna Neumann on HNN- many of his own ideas, sketched on extensions, and later his theorem that that board, would find publicity only That address, like most of his lectures, any finitely generated group can be under the student’s name; Higman did was given without notes. His lectures embedded in a finitely presented group if not suggest joint authorship and he contained an even flow of prose and and only if it is recursively presented. The surely could not have tolerated the mathematics, with the use of the latter was of especially wide interest since Research Assessment Exercise. adjoining board for details, and his he needed to work at the boundaries of advanced classes often contained his Some found him intimidating, not least logic to establish the concept of relations most recent thinking – occasionally he by his choice of words. He once being ‘recursively enumerable’. arrived late if some detail had not quite remarked that there were three types of worked out in the way he hoped. Only It was in his Manchester years, too, student, those who wrote their own once did he diverge, to comment on the that Higman worked on the Burnside theses, those for whom he wrote their day after the 1964 General Election Problems, leading ultimately to his thesis and they understood it, and those that “this can also be done on the left, celebrated joint paper with Philip Hall who for whom he wrote their thesis but as seems fashionable these days”. in 1956. This paper has proved the they did not, while to one former foundation for ideas that have influenced student he said in public at an ICM, His retirement was spent preaching and finite group theorists ever since, and it is “When I asked you a question, I didn’t bird watching. His health gradually probably no accident that a remarkable expect you to prove a theorem”. Friends deteriorated over his last ten years, but but simple idea that lies at its heart is were not exempt; Bill Boone, after giving he came to two lectures at the numbered Lemma 1.2.3. a lecture entitled “A logical approach to conference held in January 2007 to HNN-extensions”, was firmly told, “And mark his ninetieth birthday. He was not Higman spent the year 1960–61 in for a logical and intelligible account, seen in public again. Chicago at a time when there was an read the original paper.” explosion of interest in finite simple This is an abridged version of the groups, following Thompson’s thesis Higman knew when he had proved a Obituary by Michael Collins that which had seen an almost unimaginable good result; in Chicago he had written appeared in The Independent. extension of the Hall–Higman methods; a paper entitled Suzuki 2-groups, but it was during that year that the Odd Michio Suzuki at his retirement

2 / OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:30 Page 4

Institute news Mathematical Institute news Nick Woodhouse Chairman of the Mathematical Institute

The past year has been another busy others, we have succumbed to the one for the Institute. temptation to translate this more complex data set into a league table. Research Assessment Exercise The results are very pleasing, however December saw the publication of the you do the analysis, but I shall do no results of the Research Assessment more than remark that Oxford

Exercise, the first since 2001. This huge mathematics did very well indeed. Photograph © Rob Judges undertaking, in which every department in the country is invited to put forward OCCAM The year has seen other very this prominent chair. He brings to his the four best ‘research outputs’ of each exciting and significant developments. new task the insights from his own of its faculty members, has a very More is said on page 1 about the research as well as infectious significant impact on the reputations launch of the Oxford Centre for enthusiasm and a gift for making and funding of universities. It had taken Collaborative and Applied Mathematics, accessible deep and elusive ideas. much of our time in 2007, as we all which has provided a huge boost for worked to get our lists of outputs and Oxford applied mathematics and is New Institute Building With the other material in order. For those in the tribute to the pioneering work of John opening of OCCAM and John Ball’s department who sat on the expert Ockendon and Alan Tayler, who founded Centre for Nonlinear Partial Differential assessment panels, it also consumed OCIAM thirty years ago. Equations, we are now in three much of 2008. buildings. While the design of our new Charles Simonyi Chair Marcus du building makes its stately progress The result came as a relief, indeed as a Sautoy has been appointed as Richard through the maze of the planning cause for celebration. In 2001, there Dawkins’s successor in the Charles system, we can at least enjoy the more was a grade for each unit assessment – Simonyi Professorship for the Public destructive phase of the project. The in our case, pure mathematics and Understanding of Science (see page 5). sprawl of hospital buildings around the applied mathematics – and the results Marcus has already done a great deal old Radcliffe Infirmary has now were simple to interpret. This time there to promote public appreciation of disappeared, and a large pile of rubble are ‘profiles’ rather than a single mathematics and it is a very positive occupies the site of our forthcoming numerical score. Like most higher step for our discipline that a Institute Building. n education correspondents and many mathematician should be appointed to IMA Gold Medallists

every other year. In total 17 medals and the plaque is fixed firmly to the have now been awarded and of these wall in the OCIAM Library. medallists, three have been members of The Oxford Centre for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. The three OCIAM winners were Alan Tayler in 1982, John Hammersley in 1984 and John Ockendon in 2006. Photograph © Sarah Walters © Sarah Photograph In December 2008 friends and relations Hugo Hammersley, June Tayler, Julian Hammersley and John Ockendon of the prize winners were invited to a in front of the three gold medals. party at which a handsome plaque containing the three medals was In 1982 the Institute of Mathematics unveiled. June Tayler (Alan’s widow), and its Applications instituted a gold Julian and Hugo Hammersley (John’s medal to be awarded to one or two sons) and John Ockendon have given

distinguished applied mathematicians the medals to OCIAM on indefinite loan Photograph © Sarah Walters

OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 / 3 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:30 Page 5

Mathematical topics

Approximation Theory and Practice Triadophilia Nick Trefethen Professor of Numerical Analysis Philip Candelas Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics

Did you know that it’s perfectly feasible to In String Theory, which many consider to interpolate 1,000,001 data values by a polynomial be the ‘best buy’ as a theory of the of degree 1,000,000? The power of high-order fundamental interactions of physics, there polynomial interpolation is being exploited by the is a much discussed difficulty known as chebfun project based in the Oxford Numerical the ‘Landscape problem’. String Theory is Analysis Group. first formulated as a theory in ten dimensions and six of these are supposed Two tricks are needed to make the process to ‘curl up’ into a small manifold; the practical: most popular of these are the so-called ‘Calabi-Yau manifolds’. It does no harm at n the interpolation points must be clustered near the boundary and (as you might this level to think of this as being guess from the name) we use Chebyshev points: for the interval [−1, 1], these are somewhat like a small sphere, but it is xj = cos (jπ/n), for 0 ≤ j ≤ n. important that it can have a more n the interpolant must be evaluated by a barycentric formula published by H.E. complicated shape with many ‘handles’. Salzer in 1972. Even though the Calabi-Yau manifold is Combining these leads to methods as efficient and robust as the much more famous too small to be observed directly, it leaves Fourier techniques for periodic problems. its mark on the laws of particle physics. There are a great many The chebfun project is a software system built on these facts and on the remarkable possibilities for the number of different way in which MATLAB has grown to codify generations of advances in numerical CY manifolds, perhaps hundreds of linear algebra. The system overloads MATLAB commands for vectors and matrices so millions or even more, and each one leads that they apply to functions and operators, with everything implemented by to a different theory in the observable Chebyshev interpolants. For example, suppose we type world. A small number of these are like our world, but most are very different. f = chebfun(‘sin(x^2)*besselj(0,x) +sin(x)*besselj(1,(20−x)^2)’,[2 20]). 2 2 The resulting chebfun f matches sin (x ) J0(x) + sin (x) J1((20 − x) ) on the interval The ‘Landscape’ consists of these [2, 20] to about 15 digits of precision and can be manipulated by dozens of familiar possibilities and the ‘Landscape MATLAB commands. We can plot it with plot(f), as shown below. problem’ is to explain how the theory can have predictive power if, as many imagine, all these possibilities are equally likely and it might be just a matter of luck as to why the world is as it is. The Oxford contribution (of myself, Xenia de la Ossa, Yang-Hui He and Balász Szendrői) is to point out that most of these CY manifolds are very The command length(f) reveals that f is actually a polynomial of degreee 492. complex: when one plots the topological Here are its maximum, integral, total varation, and tenth zero counted from the type of the manifold against its left, all computed to about 15-digit precision in a fraction of a second using just complexity, the plot looks like a wedge the right numerical algorithms (how would you do these things?): that is very densely populated, but the max(f) norm(diff(f),1) tip, which consists of the simplest ans = 0.422423192472707 ans = 40.021432099272715 manifolds, is very thinly populated. sum(f) r = roots(f); r(10) Moreover, among the few manifolds that ans = -0.010800293307751 ans = 5.025153047777319 populate this tip, there is at least one that has the particle content of what is The chebfun team, funded by EPSRC, currently consists of myself, post-doc taken to be the Standard Model of Rodrigo Platte, DPhil student Ricardo Pachón, regular visitor Toby Driscoll particle interactions. The debate from Delaware, and two MSc students. Users are beginning to pop up around therefore may be not so much as to why the world. Our vision is a computational tool that feels symbolic, like Maple or our world is chosen over the multitude Mathematica, but runs at the speed of numerics. The system already handles of others, but why we live at the tip of piecewise smooth functions, infinite domains, and ODE initial-, boundary-, and the distribution. eigenvalue problems. For details, or to download, google chebfun.

4 / OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:30 Page 6

Media

Marcus du Sautoy and the Charles Simonyi Chair

Marcus du Sautoy has recently been best come from someone actively appointed to the Charles Simonyi Chair involved at the cutting edge of their for the Public Understanding of Science, science. The role of Simonyi professor is following the retirement of Richard rather like an ambassador for science Dawkins. Here he presents his views helping to create dialogue between the about his appointment: scientific community and society at large.

The Simonyi Chair encapsulates for me I think that mathematics is a fantastic the two things I have dedicated my choice of topic for the Simonyi chair. working life to over the last decades: Mathematics is the language of science. high-level academic research combined It is at the heart of physics, chemistry with a passion for communicating the and much of biology which makes it a excitement of my subject to a broad great platform for engaging the public spectrum of society. in science.

For me, science is about discovery but I am particularly excited by the it is also about communication. A challenge of profiling the fantastic For some years Marcus du Sautoy has scientific discovery barely exists until it science we do in Oxford. Having been been a familiar figure on our television is communicated and brought to life in involved in Oxford science since I came screens and over the radio waves. the minds of others. to Oxford as an undergraduate in 1983, In 2005 his BBC–Open University I believe we have one of the greatest documentary The Music of the Primes I am deeply committed to continuing centres of scientific excellence in the appeared on BBC4 and was later my own research which seeks to world and it is important to tell people repeated on BBC2, attracting a total uncover some of the deep eternal about our success. audience of around two million. mysteries of number theory and In 2006 he presented the Royal symmetry. But at the same time, I am Richard Dawkins has done a fantastic job Institution Christmas lectures to 13- and passionately dedicated to giving as in the last 13 years in bringing the 14-year-olds, and these attracted large many people as possible access to the wonders of evolutionary biology to the TV audiences. His radio broadcasts have exciting and beautiful world of public. This appointment, I think, marks a ranged from discussions of symmetry or mathematics and science that I inhabit new direction for the Simonyi chair and I mathematics and music to appearances and revealing to them why it is such a am excited by the attention it will provide on Desert Island Discs and The Today powerful way to understand the world. for mathematics. Of course I am bracing Programme, and recently he presented myself for questions about my views on a Radio 3 documentary about the A mathematically and scientifically God, but this is a job about Baroque arts and sciences. An account literate society is essential given the communicating the wonders and of his recent BBC4 series The Story of huge role science now plays in our excitement of science. Maths appears below. world. But my belief is that message can The Story of Maths

As reported in last year’s Newsletter, These programmes To accompany the series, Robin Marcus du Sautoy made a series of four were broadcast Wilson has written an Open high-profile one-hour BBC TV several times on University 10-week introductory programmes, in association with the Open BBC4 in October, course for those wishing to University, in which he traced the achieving large learn ‘the maths behind the development of mathematics from its audiences, and in programmes’; this course was origins in Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and January they were presented last winter with India to the present day. presented on BBC spectacular success, and will be Marcus in Königsberg There were four programmes: World to an estimated presented again in May and October The language of the universe, The genius world-wide audience of 200 million. It is (visit www.openuniversity.co.uk/ of the East, The frontiers of space, and hoped that they will be re-broadcast storyofmaths for details). To infinity and beyond. again before too long.

OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 / 5 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:30 Page 7

People

Appointments...

Prof Paul Bressloff Dr James Oliver (University of Utah) to (University of Oxford) a University Research to a University Professorship in Applied Lecturership in Mathematics. Research Applied Mathematics interests: mathematical and a fellowship at neuroscience, biological physics, partial Jesus College. Research interests: fluid differential equations, stochastic dynamics and its applications to free processes, dynamical systems. and moving boundary problems in industry, engineering and biology, with Dr Hanqing Jin applications ranging in scale from ship (University of Oxford) slamming to cell mobility. to a University Lecturership in Dr Panagiotis Atkins © Marc Photograph Mathematical Finance Papazoglou Ulrike Tillmann elected and a Fellowship at St (University of Athens) a Fellow of the Royal Peter’s College. Research interests: to a University mathematical finance, behavioural Lecturership in Society finance and applied stochastic analysis. Mathematics and a Fellowship at The Queen’s College. We were delighted when Ulrike Tillmann, Dr Kobi Kremnizer Research interests: geometric group Professor of Mathematics and Fellow of (University of Chicago) theory, large scale geometry and Merton College, was included in the list to a University topology. of new Fellows of the Royal Society for Lecturership in Pure 2008. Her work is in algebraic topology, Mathematics and a ...and farewells where her researches combine original Fellowship at Oriel thinking in homotopy theory with strong geometric insight to give new College. Research interests: geometric We are sorry to say goodbye to understanding of large classes of representation theory. David Acheson (Jesus/Keble), topological structures. She introduced Peter Neumann (Queen’s) homotopy theoretic techniques to the Dr Andreas Münch and Graham Vincent-Smith (Oriel) study of topological and conformal field (University of who retired last summer. Nottingham) to a theories: this led to penetrating and Readership in Applied definitive results in the study of spaces Mathematics and a of Riemann surfaces, and spaces of fellowship at manifolds more generally. Her work is St Catherine's College. Research also related to modern developments in interests: Dynamics of thin liquid polymer the physics of topological field theories. films, and the role of slippage, non- She describes her approach to research

classical shocks, quantum dots / epitaxial © Phil Trinh Photograph and teaching as follows: David Acheson Peter Neumann growth, liquid flows with free capillary I think of a theorem – that this must surfaces, viscous particulate flows. be true – and then try to prove it. You need to see the whole way through: Dr Jan Obloj (Imperial that is how I tend to work. I try to College London) to a sketch a proof, and complete a little University Research bit and go home happy. That’s how I Lecturership in Graham Vincent-Smith work: I try to see the whole thing and then come back and fill in the details. Mathematical Finance. Tom Witelski has left to take up an You need the whole community of Research interests: Associate Professorship at Duke mathematicians: we also teach, and derivatives pricing and hedging, University, USA, and Christoph Melcher mathematics is a conversation that portfolio optimisation, martingale has left to take up a Chair in Applied goes backwards and forwards between theory and embedding problems for Analysis at RWTH Aachen University in people, and also between the stochastic processes. Germany. generations. I think that’s important – to have this continuity of ideas. 6 / OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:30 Page 8

Student News

SIAM Student Chapters beyond the USA: The Oxford Experience Thomas Woolley

In January 2008, the University of mathematics and its Oxford became the first UK applications. institution, and only the fourth outside the USA (the other three Specifically, we promote being in Spain, Italy and Turkey), to the ideals of SIAM form a SIAM Student Chapter. through a few large- scale events each year. The Society for Industrial and Applied The highlight this year the opportunity arises!), and you Mathematics (SIAM) publishes many was the second Oxford SIAM Student are cordially invited and positively journals and books, holds conferences Chapter Annual Conference, held in encouraged to attend next year’s across the world, and motivates interest Somerville College in February; the conference (for details, see and communication through its chapter plenary speakers were David Acheson http://people.maths.ox.ac.uk/ scheme. The success of the chapter (Jesus College) and Nick Higham ~siamstudentchapter/Conference.html). model is based on the fact that, as well (University of Manchester), together as connecting students with the wide with the usual entertaining range of Another goal is to encourage more variety of resources offered by SIAM, it doctoral and postdoctoral students. The chapters to form in Europe and provides an excellent opportunity for conference was sponsored by Winton elsewhere; aside from the minor students and faculty to interact. Our Capital Management, who are leaders in inconvenience of converting the funds main goal is to construct a network of research-led managed futures trading. provided by SIAM from US dollars to people, from all backgrounds and We’re looking to make the conferences local currency, it makes no difference disciplines, who are interested in more national (and even international if where the chapter is based!

International evening After an impromptu address by the completed an MMath degree in 2007, Chancellor, Chris Patten, and a and is now studying for a DPhil. His at the Mathematical discussion about international supervisor, Professor Charles Batty, said Institute stereotypes, Marcus du Sautoy gave an ‘I shall be delighted if he is as amusing presentation outlining his successful in his mathematical research An international evening was held in recent TV programmes The Story of as he has been in his television the Mathematical Institute in Maths (see page 5) and describing appearances’. January, attended by many students. some of the horror stories that took place during the round-the-world Carol Vordermann’s replacement on filming. Countdown is Rachel Riley, another Oxford mathematics graduate. Oxford Maths Students on Countdown

Junaid Mubeen won the 59th series of Countdown on 12 December 2008 on the last programme to be hosted by Des O’Connor and Carol Vordermann. He has been a mathematics student at St Anne’s College since 2003,

With permission from ITV

International food was enjoyed by Junaid Mubeen, with Carol Vordermann those who attended the event. and Des O’Connor

OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7 / 7 Maths News 2009 (Fa):Maths newsletter 1 9/7/09 09:29 Page 1

Miscellaneous

MP40: Calling all The lectures will be given by the first two holders of the chair in Mathematical Maths Philosophers – Logic, Dana Scott and Angus Macintyre, in join us for a birthday the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, Clarendon Building, at 4 pm on 4 July. celebration! After the garden party, there will be a celebratory dinner at St Anne's College, Mathematical Institute This year there's even more reason to exclusively for Maths Philosophers and visit Oxford for the annual Maths their partners. On 5 July there is a Garden Parties Garden Party, as it is being combined programme of lectures at the Philosophy with a celebration of 40 Centre at 10 Merton Street, given by Last July’s Mathematical Institute years of the Oxford course graduates of the course who have gone Garden Party was held at St Anne’s, in Mathematics and on to academic careers. Staff who have and was preceded by interesting talks Philosophy. Everyone who taught on the course are also being on The Poincaré conjecture (recently matriculated on this invited to take part in these events. solved by Grigory Perelman) by course is invited to mark Professors Marc Lackenby and John Ball. its 40th anniversary on You can find out more about these the weekend of 4–5 July celebrations and book for all, or some, This year’s event will take place on 2009, during a programme of of the events at Saturday 4 July, with a lecture at 4 pm special events that will fit http://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/events/mp40. in the Martin Wood Lecture Theatre, around the Saturday afternoon Please also pass this information on to Clarendon Building, by Professors Dana lectures and reception to which any fellow Maths and Philosophy Scott and Angus Macintyre, as part of all mathematicians are invited. graduates with whom you are in touch, the MP40 gathering (see left), followed who might not have received this by the Garden Party at St Anne’s. Dana Scott and Angus Macintyre Newsletter.

Lewis Carroll in Numberland Sudoku puzzle corner

One of this year’s new popular maths Fill in the empty cells in the puzzle books is Robin Wilson’s Lewis Carroll in below, so that each of the nine letters Numberland, describing for a general below the puzzle appears just once in audience the mathematical activities of each row, column and 3 × 3 box, and a Charles Dodgson, who wrote the Alice mathematical word will appear in one of books (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland the rows or columns: the hidden word and Through the Looking-glass) while a may appear forwards or backwards, mathematics lecturer at Christ Church. The down or up. book contains much information about 19th-century Oxford, and features RA O Dodgson’s preoccupations with algebra, OT H M logic, Euclidean geometry, the mathematics of voting, and mathematical L puzzles. It has received rave reviews in H IM such publications as the New York Review TG of Books and the American Scientist. IMT

The book appeared last summer and will G be issued in paperback in July. The author LA HM will be talking about Dodgson and his O IR mathematics at this September’s alumni weekend. AGHILMORT

Solution to last year’s puzzle: SPHERICAL (row 2 backwards)

8 / OXFORD MATHEMATICAL INSTITUTE NEWSLETTER . SPRING 2009 . ISSUE 7