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Tonight we will hear from 3 brilliant mathematicians about the exciting research they carry out. Dr Oscar Bandtlow will discuss how mathematics can be used to interpret the broader meaning of musical scores, while PhD student Valerio Ciotti will talk about how communication and social networks can be used to predict the success of start-ups. Plus, you'll hear about a bit of randomness (literally) in Mayank Shreshtha's stand-up performance. Come join us! During the event, there will be Pint of Science t-shirts and bottle openers to be won!
What Is Your Forte?
Dr Oscar Bandtlow
(Senior Lecturer in Applied Mathematics )
Musical scores do not only contain notes but also instructions, including indications for the overall tempo of a piece (e.g., `presto', meaning `fast') or how loud certain passages are to be played (e.g., `piano' meaning `soft').
But do interpreters always follow these instructions? And if not, is there a reason why they choose to disobey the composer's orders? Find out why there is more to these questions than meets the eye, how to address them using recent mathematical advances in signal processing, and whether piano is always piano.
But do interpreters always follow these instructions? And if not, is there a reason why they choose to disobey the composer's orders? Find out why there is more to these questions than meets the eye, how to address them using recent mathematical advances in signal processing, and whether piano is always piano.
Randomness, Extremities and Why Do Things Tend to Become Worse?
Mayank Shreshtha
(PhD student in Dynamical and Statistical physics)
Randomness is the bitter truth of the world. Predictions are made after observing things for a long time. We have failed tremendously to find patterns in many processes like weather forecasting, stock market etc. Is there anything in common between a traffic jam and movement of ants on trails or how do these studies link to Alzheimer’s Disease? Can we predict the extreme events like heat waves, power outages and financial crises? Why do we not observe UN-breaking of an egg? Why does nature hesitate to run in reverse? I will try to discuss all of this in a talk done in a STAND-UP routine.
The World of Complex Networks
Valerio Ciotti
(PhD Student)
Everyday when we check the Internet for news or look at our emails and chats, we take part in a communication network. When we interact with other people, we intrinsically obey norms "imposed" on us by society and by the social networks we take part in. The communication and social networks are both examples of complex networks. Why do we call them ''complex''? Can we discriminate between the type of relationships in a social network by looking at its structure? Can we predict the success of start-ups using networks? Looking for the answers? Come to Pint of Science!
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