How often do curves meet? - Cancelled

29 March 2023

Branch:  Yorkshire Branch

Title:    How often do curves meet? 

Presenters:     Dr James Cranch – University of Sheffield

Summary:  If you take an equation involving variables x and y, you can draw a graph of its solutions: they form a plane curve. If you have two such equations, you have two curves, and you can ask how many times they intersect each other.  I'll explain why counting these intersections is useful for a range of things: from understanding Pythagoras's equation, to annoying people on the internet, to the cutting edge of mathematics. I'll show a very simple formula, which happens to be wrong, and explain why it's a good idea to ignore the fact that it's wrong.  This talk is included in the Key Stage 5 Maths Day. Visit www.stem.leeds.ac.uk/KS5mathsday for more details.

Venue:   University of Leeds, (Rupert Beckett, Lecture Theatre, Michael Sadler Building)