Winning is all about playing the odds and taking your chance. Professor du Sautoy explains the probabilities mathematically.
Monopoly is a fun game for all the family, but understanding the probabilities will boost your chance of winning.
Discover how mathematics can be used to both make and break the strongest codes. Even supposedly uncrackable codes.
We look at early morse code, baudot code and the more sophisticated public key / private key combinations.
How does the human body cope when deprived of food and water? What are the bodies natural defences against starvation?
These and other fascinating questions are tackled in this year’s Christmas lecture.
The beauty and simplicity of shapes like the sphere belies an intrinsic strength. What shape is our Universe?
Fractals are computer-generated mathematical models that can be magnified infinitely.
Oxygen is absolutely essential for human life. Mitochondria, in every cell in the human body, uses oxygen to produce energy.
Some incredible facts about the human body are revealed by Dr Hugh Montgomery.
Prime numbers and the important role they play in all areas of mathematics and technology. The global search for the next Mersenne Prime Number.
A curious insect, the circada, appears in cycles of prime numbers a fact Marcus du Sautoy is certain is not a coincidence.
Despite the name this year’s Christmas Lectures was not held at the Royal Institute, Instead they appeared at the Institute of Engineering.
Marcus du Sautoy entertains and educates with his fascination for numbers.
The great tradition of the Royal Institute Christmas Lectures was begun in 1826 by Michael Faraday when good education for the young was scarce.
Dr Hugh Montgomery takes a fascinating look at human survival against all the odds.
Genes play an enormous amount in our charcter and our physical abilities. All factors that may influence our survival in extreme circumstances.
It can also be genes that affect how fat you are. 75% of the factors affecting fatness are genetic. Fat insulates the body and can help you survive the cold.
Can mathematics really predict the future? Professor Marcus du Sautoy discusses this and introduces the Chaos Theory discovered by Henri Poincare.
How can mathematics help to predict future events? Professor Marcus du Sautoy begins by considering a football!
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. more information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.