Massey University 2011 Professorial Lecture Series

Professor Graeme Wake - Counting the elements: earth, fire, water, air and life. The relevance of mathematics in modern life.

An article titled “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics…” was published in 1960; it noted the remarkable success mathematics has in helping humankind in understanding the world (and beyond) in which we live. Fifty years later we stand somewhat vulnerably at a cross-road: there is more and more increasingly-advanced mathematics available, much underpinning almost everything we do, yet less and less of it is accessible to those who depend on what is described.

This leads to an important question: Does it matter? The title of this lecture includes the four crucial ingredients of our human experience enunciated by the ancient Greeks; in this talk and using visual material and personal anecdotes, four more detailed areas of personal experience will be described. Informed by mathematical description and analysis, they are: when/where/how materials spontaneously ignite; farm animal and human growth; cancer cell growth; and gene expression.

RSVP email: Professorial-Lectures@massey.ac.nz
Phone: (09) 414 0800 ext 9555

This event is proudly supported by North Shore Times.

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