Laura
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Carnival of Mathematics 248
Welcome to Carnival of Mathematics issue 248! Before we dive into our assortment of monthly maths, let’s talk about the number 248. Its digits are 21,222^1, 2^2 and 232^3. There doesn’t seem to be a name for numbers whose digits are all powers of a single integer -even when those powers ascend from 1 to… Read more
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I can hear the bells…
In the late 1950s, Selmer M. Johnson and Hale F. Trotter independently created an algorithm – aptly named the Steinhauss-Johnson-Trotter algorithm – which generates all permutations of nn unique objects. Crucially, to get from one permutation to the next, only one next-door-neighbour pair of elements can be swapped, and no permutation can be repeated. Such… Read more
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Christmas Cracker Calculator
On Christmas day we sat round the table, crossed our arms, and pulled crackers on each side. In mine, I found a silver paper hat, a terrible joke, and a sparkly orange bobble (that I will be keeping). My sister had won the real jackpot; nestled inside her cracker was the magic of modern computing. … Read more
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Reflections on a year of being a physicist
I am hesitant to call myself a physicist. In fact, when someone asks me what I do for a living, my usual answer is: “I am a PhD student”. Maybe that is the answer they wanted. Maybe they are more interested in how much tax I pay (none) and whether I can still get a… Read more
Letters and Words 