[Maths-Education] Maths-Art Seminar at LKL: October 14, Tony Mann, "From Tristram Shandy to Bad Sex: Some uses of mathematics in fiction"

[Phillip Kent]

** PLEASE CIRCULATE ** ALL WELCOME **

FROM TRISTRAM SHANDY TO BAD SEX: SOME USES OF MATHEMATICS IN FICTION

An LKL Maths-Art seminar by Tony Mann
Thursday 14 October 2010, 6.00 - 7.30pm

The worlds of mathematics and fiction might be thought to have little in
common, but mathematics has featured in many novels, and many novelists
have engaged seriously with mathematics and mathematicians.  A few
(perhaps surprisingly few) mathematicians have written fiction; many
real and imaginary mathematicians have been appropriated as fictional
characters, and novelists have based work on various mathematical
structures and devices. This talk will examine some of these literary
uses of mathematics. It will look at some illustrative examples from
Plath to Borges and the Oulipo, mention some of the recent crop of
diverse and fascinating mathematical novels, and discuss some of the
issues that arise from this meeting of disciplines.

In his twenty-one years at the University of Greenwich, TONY MANN has
taught mathematics, software engineering and digital media.  His roles
at the University have included Head of Department of Mathematical
Sciences, 2002-2010.  Before becoming an academic he worked as a
software engineer in the electricity supply industry, writing
mathematical modelling software. He is currently President of the
British Society for the History of Mathematics (BSHM), is also Treasurer
of the interdisciplinary Leonardo da Vinci Society, and has served on
the Committee of the Computer Arts Society. In 2009 he organised a
conference on Mathematics and Fiction in Oxford, following which he
published an article in the BSHM Bulletin about mathematics and fiction.

DATE: Thursday 14th October
TIME: 6.00 to 7.30pm
PLACE: London Knowledge Lab, 23-29 Emerald St, London, WC1N 3QS
[Travel information & maps at: http://bit.ly/LKL-MathsArt-venue ]

Next seminar: 11 November

All welcome. No reservation required, but an email to
lkl.maths.art at gmail.com is appreciated for planning purposes

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*Visit the website and seminar archive:
http://www.lkl.ac.uk/events/maths-art
*Join the email list for future seminar announcements:
http://www.dcs.bbk.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/lkl-maths-art

 
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Dr Phillip Kent, Visiting Fellow, London Knowledge Lab
p.kent at ioe.ac.uk   phillip.kent at gmail.com 
www.phillipkent.net    m: 07950 952034
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