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Engineers and Pure Mathematicians have a surprising amount in common, despite working at opposite ends of many problems; one at the totally theoretical end and the other at that of practical realisation, sometimes centuries apart. They both use tools created or designed mainly by other members of their own profession; they both enjoy testing things to destruction in order to explore how they work; and they both enjoy finding solutions to problems that cover all the requirements but which tend to do so in an efficient and elegant way.

This lecture explores how basic concepts that began with natural numbers to count livestock in antiquity eventually gave rise to complex numbers, and how techniques to measure buildings and the movement of the stars evolved into techniques to analyse data in totally new ways.  Some modern applications, ranging from every day examples such as photographs taken by smartphones through to research applications, will also be considered.

Finally, the lecture will examine the implications for how Engineers can be educated to bring the power of some of humanity's most beautiful abstract ideas to bear on the practical problems that surround us in everyday life.

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Shore Rd,
Newtownabbey
BT37 0QB

T: 02870 123 456

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Event info

This event has ended

Wednesday 17 February

6.30pm to 8pm

Lecture Theatre 9F03

Corporate Events Office

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