In this newsletter:

- Latest news
- Browse with Plus
- Mathematical moments
- Live maths



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Beating bird flu with bills - the travels of bank notes may hold important 
clues for epidemiologists 
http://www.plus.maths.org/latestnews/jan-apr06/disease/index.html

Innate geometry - is geometry hard-wired into our brains?
http://www.plus.maths.org/latestnews/jan-apr06/geometry/index.html

Plus... more news from the world of maths

Small, cool planet found
http://www.plus.maths.org/latestnews/jan-apr05/plusmore35/index.html#planet

Football physics 
http://www.plus.maths.org/latestnews/jan-apr05/plusmore35/index.html#football

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Browse with Plus

Beautiful maths

Justin Mullins has photographed some of the most beautiful maths there is 
-- and some of the ugliest, too. To explore maths beauty, maths romance, 
maths surrealism and more, visit his online gallery at 
http://www.justinmullins.com/. Alternatively, if you're in London, you can 
go along and see the exhibition for real at 
Lauderdale House 
Waterlow Park 
Highgate N6 5HG. 
It's on from the 1st until the 12th of February.
For more information visit
http://www.lauderdalehouse.co.uk/


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Mathematical moments

Bertrand Russell - Born: 18th of May 1872 in Ravenscroft, Wales
                   Died: 2nd of February 1970 in Penrhyndeudraeth, Wales


Bertrand Russell was one of the most influential logicians of the 20th 
century. He held the view that all maths can be reduced to formal logic, 
and played a major role in developing formal logic and what is known as 
"first-order predicate calculus". But what he's maybe most famous for is 
the paradox which carries his name. It goes like this: take any set and ask 
if it's a member of itself. For example, the set consisting of all dogs on 
Earth is not a member of itself, because a set of dogs is not a dog. But 
the set consisting of everything that is not a dog is a member of itself, 
since it's itself not a dog. Now look at the set which consists of all sets 
that are not members of themselves. If this is a member of itself, then 
it's not a member of itself. If it's not a member of itself, then it's a 
member of itself. Have fun puzzling...

... and when you've had enough, read about Russell's paradox in the 
following Plus articles: http://plus.maths.org/issue20/xfile/ and 
http://plus.maths.org/issue9/features/proof3/, or at 
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/russell-paradox/, and find out more about 
Russell's life on the MacTutor site: 
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Russell.html

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Live maths

Riddles of form

This exhibition at the University of Dundee looks at how artists, 
mathematicians and scientists make sense of the world around them through 
shape and form.

When: 20th of January - 11th of March 2006
      Mon-Fri 9.30am-8.30pm, Sat 9.30am-4.30pm 
Where: Tower Foyer Gallery
       Tower Building
       University of Dundee
More info: http://www.dundee.ac.uk/museum/riddles.htm
Admission is free.



Cafe Scientifique -- Dinner@Dana

Cafe Scientifique is a place where anyone can come to explore the latest 
ideas in science and technology. At this event at the Dana centre you can, 
over dinner, explore and discuss everything to do with the Enigma code 
breakers at Bletchley Park. Dr Chris Little, Education Manager at Bletchley 
Park, will be there to help unscramble the German Enigma and Lorenz 
ciphers. Tickets cost £13 and include a two course meal and a drink. They 
should be pre-booked by phoning 020 7942 4040 or by emailing 
[log in to unmask] The event is open to anyone aged 18 or over.

When: 15th of February 6.30pm until 9pm
Where: The Dana Centre
       165 Queen's Gate
       South Kensington
       London
       SW7 5HE More info: 
http://www.danacentre.org.uk/calendar.asp?filter=date&date=15/2/2006


Problems with schoolgirls

Professor Robin Wilson has none of these because he knows what block 
designs are. If you also want to know what they are, and what they have to 
do with schoolgirls, geometry and music, visit this free public lecture at 
Gresham College.

When: 22nd of February 2006 at 1pm and 6pm
Venue: Barnard's Inn Hall
       Gresham College 
       Holborn
       London EC1N 2HH
Website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/default.asp



Happy reading from the Plus team!

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