Number theory and the circle packings of Apollonius (August 17 2011)

Professor Peter Sarnak

, Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University and Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton

Like many problems in number theory, the questions that arise from packing the plane with mutually tangent circles…

Observing climate change effects using the Earth’s gravity field (May 26 2010)

Dr Michael Watkins

, NASA Jet Propulsion Labratory

The Earth's gravity field varies from place to place and from one day to the next. The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) is a revolutionary satellite system that allows scientists to use…

Strucure and Randomness in the Prime Numbers (September 22 2009)

Professor Terence Tao, Professor of Mathematics, University of California, Los Angeles

"God may not play dice with the universe, but something strange is going on with the prime numbers" - Paul Erdos

The prime numbers are a fascinating blend of both structure…