The Golden Ratio

Swansea

Mathematics Masterclasses

Programme

2013

Welcome to Mathematics Masterclasses in Swansea

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The Wales Institute of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (WIMCS) is delighted to welcome you to the 2013 series of Mathematics Masterclasses.

WIMCS and the Royal Institution of Great Britain are offering six mathematics masterclasses to year 9 pupils from schools in Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot with the support of the Mathematics Department, Swansea University, the School of Education, Swansea Metropolitan University, the Further Maths Support Programme and the Mathematics Advisors for Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot.

The masterclasses are aimed at year 9 pupils who have an aptitude for and a real interest in the art and practice of mathematics. Through a variety of topics, you will be given a taste of the nature of mathematical thinking. Each class will be held on a Saturday morning from 9.40a.m.–12noon in the Spring school term. Two university venues will be used, both of which are in Swansea.

Stephen Williamson

WIMCS Administrator

Timetable:

SATURDAYS 9.40 a.m. – 12 noon

Venue:

School of Education, Townhill Campus,

Swansea Metropolitan University.

Main Lecture Theatre, Main Teaching Block K,

Venue:

Swansea University

Faraday Lecture Theatre, Faraday Tower

More information on each class

19th January 2013

Session 1-Randomness.

Although the concept of randomness is ubiquitous, we are generally very poor at both recognizing and producing random sequences. I will be looking at attempts to capture randomness - via the National Lottery & the iPod shuffle feature - and the mathematical (and psychological) problems associated with these approaches.

Session 2-Practical problem solving and other interesting things with paper!

Practical problem solving and other interesting things with paper!

26th January 2013

The Golden Ratio

Are some rectangles particularly `”nice"? Many people think that a rectangle is `”just right" when the ratio of the short side to the long side equals a number called the `”Golden Ratio". This is a very special number. In this session, we will explore some of its fascinating mathematical properties, and also show you how it crops up all over nature and art - from snail shells to rabbit breeding to architecture!

2nd February 2013

Special Relativity

Nearly everyone has heard of Einstein and his theory of Special Relativity and the idea that light travels at a constant speed (the speed of light). But where did this theory come from and what are its consequences?

We will first investigate the concept of relativity which actually dates back to the work of Galileo in 1632 and then look at what makes Einstein's theory of "special" relativity so different. We will show how the simple assumption that light moves at a constant speed leads to some extraordinary mathematical conclusions. Hopefully by the end you will be convinced that you can fit a 10m long ladder into a 5m long garage, that you can speed up or slow down time and that the universe is far more complicated and interesting than you imagined...

23rd February 2013

An Investigation into Routing Problems

There are several well known problems which involve routing through a graph, and many of these problems we need to solve on a regular basis. Imagine you are going on a car journey from Swansea to Bangor and want to find the shortest route by navigating through the directly connected cities. This is one concrete example of the problem called the shortest path problem and was first solved by Edsger Dijkstra 1956. Another well-known routing problem is called the Travelling Salesman problem and occurs when you want to find the shortest route between several directly connected cities while ensuring that you visit every city at least once. However is it possible to find a "quick" solution to the Travelling Salesman problem?

2nd March 2013

Maths Fun Workshop

A group of mathematics Undergraduate students from Bath University will show us how Mathematics can be great fun!

9th March 2013

The 4th Dimension and Beyond

The world we perceive is 3 dimensional. However, some theoretical physicists think the world might have hidden extra dimension. What does this mean? What would 4 dimensional objects look like to us? Could there be a world of 2 dimensional beings and how would they perceive us? In this masterclass we will explore various ways of thinking about extra dimensions using geometry, games, and numbers.

Please note we may need to change the programme if presenters are ill or severe weather prevents them from reaching the venue.

Contact Information:

Masterclass arrangements:

Sofya Lyakhova

Area Co-Ordinator FMSP Wales

Wales Institute of Mathematical and Computational Sciences

Tel: 01792 602793

Email:

Web:

Swansea Metropolitan University

Main switchboard: Tel: 01792 481000

Swansea University

Mathematics Department: Tel: 01792 295459