What are your odds of winning the lottery? That’s just one of the many questions being looked at in the fourth annual Maths Week Ireland.
Dr Nadia Baker of the University of Cambridge will be giving a talk on “What are the Odds”. She will reveal some of the hidden mathematics in our lives, helping to make more sense of risk, probability, chance and uncertainty – and how to improve your chances in the lottery.
Maths Week is an all-island celebration of mathematics, and aims to help people of all ages to understand more about how mathematics is useful for all of us.
It runs from 10-17 October this year and there are dozens of free public events across the country. These include shows for primary and secondary students, as well as a mathematical pub event for adults in Dublin being run by the Alchemist Cafe science discussion group.
Hamilton Walk
The William Rowan Hamilton plaque at Broome Bridge
A major highlight of the week is the annual Hamilton Day on Friday, 16 October. William Rowan Hamilton was one of Ireland’s greatest mathematicians, and on 16 October 1843 he created quaternions.
He came up with this new form of algebra in a flash of inspiration while walking along the Royal Canal in Cabra, and in a now legendary event he scratched the equations in the wall of Broome Bridge.
You can follow in Hamilton’s footsteps in the public walk on Friday 16 October, which is being organised by the Department of Mathematics at NUI Maynooth. Numbers are limited, so contact Dr Fiacre Ó Cairbre (telephone 01 708 3763) to book a place.
Learn more
Find more Maths Week events at MathsWeek.ie
Learn more on MyScienceCareer.ie about William Rowan Hamilton’s work
Read some interviews with our Science Ambassadors about careers in mathematics and physics
