Welcome to our roundup of all things Cambridge Mathematics

A message from our Director

Dear reader

Marhaba,

For someone who lived and studied mathematics in Paris for several years, the French capital has a special place in my heart. It is not just the delicious food, exquisite architecture and charming streets that make the city remarkable in my eyes, but mainly how tightly linked it is, historically, to mathematics: it is the birthplace of many distinguished scientists and mathematicians, including Jean le Rond d'Alembert, Augustin-Louis Cauchy, and Sophie Germain, among many other prominent scholars, up to our time and age. The city also houses some of the major exhibition centres and galleries dedicated to sciences, like the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie, the musée des Arts et Métiers, and the Palais de la Découverte, each being a must-see for anyone who wants to satisfy their scientific curiosity. But there is a newcomer: the Maison Poincaré, a museum dedicated to mathematics, the first of its kind in France!

The Maison Poincaré, or the Paris Mathematics Museum, is named after the French mathematician Henri Poincaré. It opened its doors on 30 September and is now welcoming all mathematics enthusiasts. This museum is the brainchild of Cédric Villani, a famous French mathematician and one of the recipients of the prestigious Fields medal. The museum aims "to make maths more accessible by showing the human faces behind the discipline, as well as its practical applications." As Villani puts it, it is "a place where you can feel and see mathematics in its various incarnations." This museum is the newest addition to a large collection of museums and galleries around the world honouring mathematics, like the Arithmeum museum in Bonn, the National Museum of Mathematics in New York, and the Winton Gallery in London, to name a few. Mathematics is such a magnificent subject, and its history and development are as fascinating as its theorems and problems, even the unsolved ones! This new museum will surely help to showcase that beauty even more, as a way to fulfil its promise of driving people, from all ages, to "fall in love" with mathematics.

This issue of our newsletter is another celebration of mathematics and mathematicians, and you find in it four special blogs: Lucy talks to us about Barbie and how much mathematics can be found in the history of the famous doll; Tabs explores the whole and its parts and investigates infinite sets; while Cosette Crisan and Catherine Gripton answer our famous seven questions and share with us personal stories and thought-provoking ideas on mathematics in general. This issue also includes details about our highly anticipated webinar on JourneyMaths, planned for 19 October.

So, the next time you are in Paris, while enjoying a walk in the history-packed Latin Quarter, degustating a scrumptious, crunchy and flaky pinched torus (riddle of the day!), do not forget to pass by the Maison Poincaré and satisfy your mathematical appetite! 

Best wishes, 

Do you want to hear more about what we are doing to support Professional Learning? Have you explored JourneyMaths?  

Come along to our upcoming free webinar to hear more; discover what JourneyMaths has to offer and how you can get the most out of it! Together we'll explore some of the ideas and resources, share some of the feedback we've received so far and give you a taster of some of the exciting developments we have planned for the coming year! 

Explore, discover and share with JourneyMaths, from Cambridge Mathematics: 19 October 2023, 15:40–16:20. 

Whether you attend alone, with a colleague or as part of a staff meeting, we look forward to showing you around! 

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