Abstract

Help judge a baking competition by eating cakes! Build reciprocating structures out of lollipop sticks but no glue! Find out what maths was like in the 1650s!

The 23rd of November this year sees the 400th anniversary of the birth of John Wallis, the Cambridge mathematician who developed infinitesimal calculus, contributed to other mathematical fields, and was Parliament’s chief cryptographer. His insomnia led him to develop astonishing skills in mental arithmetic and he published letters on musical theory. This year’s Cambridge Lovelace hackathon is held in celebration of his work.

Everybody is very welcome to come and join in with us in exploring ideas from mathematics and related areas. Every year we come together to give talks, hold discussions, develop ideas, make things, program and test, or just play games, drink tea, and socialise. This year, Wallis gives us a lot to think about, for example the idea of infinity, self-supporting structures, or exploring cryptosystems, linguistics or music. Our website at http://www.cambridgelovelace.org/ lists a broad range of suggested activities, but in the spirit of a hackathon, participants are most welcome to bring and develop their own ideas based on their own interests and skills.

See you there!