Mathematics associated with numbers and formulas is generally thought to be difficult and boring. Is there any possibility that mathematics will draw the public’s attention more in the future? Actually, technology has benefited a lot from modern mathematics applications like Google Search, 3D movies and the Internet. And people have come to realize that mathematics is more and more closely tied with fields like gaming, medical science, aviation, weather forecast and so on.
From September 2012, the Department of Mathematics of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at the University of Macau (UM) planned to organize a series of mathematical lectures in hopes of broadening the horizons of university students. The opening lecture on “Mathematics in Daily Life” was given by Prof. Tao Tang on 26 September 2012, who is a chair professor and dean of the Faculty of Science at Hong Kong Baptist University. Prof. Tang is a well-known applied mathematician. He was awarded the Feng Kang Prize for scientific computing, and the National Outstanding Young Scientist Award. In 2012, he was elected fellow of SIAM.
In his lecture, Prof. Tang asked some interesting questions. Why do snakes usually have striped skin but rarely spotted skin? How come there are animals with a striped tail and a spotted body but there are no animal with a striped body and a spotted tail? According to Prof. Tang, Turing’s theory explains them very well. Why does the Beijing Olympic Sports Centre Water Cube feature hexagon- and pentagon-shaped patterns? Because, explained Prof. Tang, this design is not just out of aesthetic consideration but also minimizes material consumption and maximizes natural light. How could Google Search find a needle in a haystack? The answer is the application of random matrix theory and computation.
When it comes to the popularization of mathematical sciences, Prof. Tang believes that Internet blogging has played a vital role in the learning and studies of mathematics. In his talk, Prof. Tang also briefly introduced the audience to the journal Mathematical Culture and a very interesting website www.mysanco.com, which he thinks are two excellent media for the popularization of mathematics.
Prof. Xiao-Qing Jin, Head of Department of Mathematics, introduces that the Mathematics Seminar Series aims to promote the culture and the ways to apply Mathematics to public, especially students of University of Macau, which also helps to simulate their interest of learning. The invited speakers of this seminar series are all renowned Mathematicians, and these seminars will be organized regularly by Department of Mathematics of FST of UM.
Should you have any inquiries about the press release, please feel free to contact Ms. Kay Lai at（853）8397 4325 or kaylai@um.edu.mo or visit UM webpage www.umac.mo.
