Over 4000 free audio and video lectures, seminars and teaching resources from Oxford University.
Skip to Content Skip to Navigation

Mathematical Institute

Series associated with Mathematical Institute

A Mathematician's Holiday
Mathematical Institute
Maths + Cancer
Scientific Computing for DPhil Students
The Secrets of Mathematics
Valentine's Day at Oxford
# Episode Title Description People Date
41 What We Cannot Know - Marcus du Sautoy Science is giving us unprecedented insight into the big questions that have challenged humanity. Marcus du Sautoy 16 May 2016
40 A Great Unrecorded History. LGBT Heritage and World Cultures Professor Parkinson discusses how to mobilise historical research into sexuality for maximum impact and the institutional, cultural and political issues that can be at stake, and suggests some of the possible uses of LGBTQ history. Richard Parkinson 25 Feb 2016
39 Creative Commons The Travelling Santa Problem and Other Seasonal Challenges - Marcus du Sautoy The Oxford Mathematics Christmas Public Lecture 2015 examined an aspect of Christmas not often considered: the mathematics. Marcus du Sautoy 18 Dec 2015
38 Creative Commons Symmetry, Spaces and Undecidability - Martin Bridson The understanding of the possible geometries in dimension 3 is one of the triumphs of 20th century mathematics. In this talk Martin Bridson explains why such an understanding is impossible in higher dimensions. Martin Bridson 07 Dec 2015
37 Putting the Higgs Boson in its Place Professor Melissa Franklin talks about her experiences working towards the discovery of the Higgs Boson and her work today at the Large Hadron Collider Melissa Franklin, Marcus du Sautoy 16 Nov 2015
36 M. C. Escher - Artist, Mathematician, Man M.C. Escher is known as the mathematician's (and hippie's) favourite artist. But why? And was Escher, a man who claimed he knew no mathematics, really a mathematical genius? Roger Penrose, Jon Chapman, Alain Goriely, Clem Hitchcock 28 Oct 2015
35 The Gomboc, the Turtle and the Evolution of Shape - Gabor Domokos Gabor Domokos gives a talk on his mathematical journey that led to the creation of the Gomboc, the shape which has just one stable and one unstable point of equilibrium. Gábor Domokos 01 Jul 2015
34 Creative Commons Love's Labour's Lost Emma Smith continues her Approaching Shakespeare series with a lecture on the play Love's Labour's Lost. Emma Smith 27 May 2015
33 Creative Commons Birth of an Idea: A Mathematical Adventure - Cedric Villani What goes on inside the mind of a mathematician? Where does inspiration come from? Cedric Villani, winner of the most prestigious prize in mathematics, the Fields Medal, explains the process. Inaugural Titchmarsh Lecture 2015. Cedric Villani 12 Mar 2015
32 Why climate change action is difficult and how we can make a difference - David MacKay 2014 Charles Simonyi Lecture with David MacKay. David MacKay 04 Dec 2014
31 Forbidden Crystal Symmetry: Mathematics and architecture - Roger Penrose World-renowned mathematician Sir Roger Penrose, Oxford University, describes how crystalline symmetries are necessarily 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, or 6-fold. Roger Penrose 04 Dec 2014
30 What Maths Really Does: From modelling the brain to modelling the climate - Alain Goriely How has mathematics emerged over recent decades as the engine behind 21st century science? Alain Goriely looks at this question and more. Alain Goriely 04 Dec 2014
29 The History of Mathematics in 300 Stamps - Robin Wilson The entire history of mathematics in one hour, as illustrated by around 300 postage stamps featuring mathematics and mathematicians from across the world. Robin Wilson 03 Dec 2014
28 Creative Commons Big Data's Big Deal - Viktor Mayer-Schonberger Big Data promises to change all sectors of our economy, and deeply affect our society. Viktor Mayer-Schonberger 20 Nov 2014
27 Medicine muddle - Encoding and Binary Given four bottles with indistinguishable liquid, one of which is a vital medicine, two containers and a test that can be done only once, how can you determine which of the the bottles contain the medicine? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
26 Dim Sum - Coding efficiency In a restaurant where you can order tasting plates of 10 items, what is the smallest number of plates you can order to identify all 10 items on a menu? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
25 Fix the Hotel Rooms - Topology By drawing on a piece of paper, can you connect three houses to three utilities (gas, electricity, water) without any of the lines crossing? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
24 The Tiny Lift - Graphs How can you get three people to the upper floor of the hotel if two of them can never be left alone? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
23 Hotel fire - Optimisation What is the quickest route to get from where you are standing, collect some water from a river and get to the hotel? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
22 Bags mix-up- Logic and Decision Trees Three bags contain 2 t-shirts or 2 hoodies or 1 hoodie and 1 t-shirt, and none are labelled correctly. Can you tell which back belongs to whom by only taking one (random) item from one bag? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
21 Late for the plane - Abstraction and Optimisation What is the quickest route between two points, if you can only cross the runways at a perpendicular? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
20 Airport security - Trilinear Coordinates How do we measure out 100ml of a liquid using only containers taking quantities of 75ml, 125ml and 200ml? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
19 Planning the tour - Abstraction and Graph Theory How do you construct a tour travelling between a number of different cities, but never using the same transport method between two cities more than once? Thomas Woolley, William Binzi 24 Oct 2014
18 Love and Math A public lecture given by Edward Frenkel, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, talking around his best-selling book "Love and Math" followed by a conversation with Marcus du Sautoy and Q&A. Edward Frenkel, Marcus du Sautoy 12 Jul 2014
17 Extra Time: Professor Sir Roger Penrose in conversation with Andrew Hodges - part one These two video sessions explore the development of Sir Roger Penrose's thought over more than 60 years, ending with his most recent theories and predictions. Roger Penrose, Andrew Hodges 18 Jun 2014
16 Extra Time: Professor Sir Roger Penrose in conversation with Andrew Hodges - part two These two video sessions explore the development of Sir Roger Penrose’s thought over more than 60 years, ending with his most recent theories and predictions. Roger Penrose, Andrew Hodges 18 Jun 2014
15 Sir Michael Atiyah, a Life in Mathematics In conversation with Paul Tod on the occasion of Sir Michael's 85th birthday conference. Paul, Tod, Michael Atiyah 12 May 2014
14 Creative Commons James D Murray, reflections of a life in academia, in conversation with Phillip Maini Jim Murray is one of the leading mathematical biologists of our times. James D Murray, Phillip Maini 02 Apr 2014
13 Why there are no three-headed monsters, resolving some problems with brain tumours, divorce prediction and how to save marriages - James D Murray Professor James D Murray, Professor Emeritus of Mathematical Biology, University of Oxford and Senior Scholar, Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University, gives the annual Hooke Lecture. James D Murray 21 Mar 2014
12 Bryce McLeod, a Life in Mathematics In conversation with John Ball A portrait of the contribution that Bryce McLeod has made to mathematics over his career together with his recollections of formative people and events. Bryce McLeod, John Ball 11 Mar 2014
11 Partial Differential Equations: Origins, Developments and Roles in the Changing World - Gui-Qiang George Chen Professor Gui-Qiang G. Chen presents in his inaugural lecture several examples to illustrate the origins, developments, and roles of partial differential equations in our changing world. Gui-Qiang George Chen 15 Jan 2014
10 Prime Numbers - Richard Earl Dr Richard Earl of the Mathematical Institute, Oxford presents a talk about prime numbers. What they are and their role in internet security. Richard Earl 15 Jan 2014
9 Computation and the Future of Mathematics - Stephen Wolfram Stephen Wolfram, creator of Mathematica and Wolfram Alpha, gives a talk about the future of mathematics and computation. Stephen Wolfram 15 Jan 2014
8 The Irrational, the chaotic and incomplete: the mathematical limits of knowledge - Marcus du Sautoy Professor Marcus du Sautoy (New College), Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science, author and broadcaster gives a talk about how much we can understand of the world through maths Marcus du Sautoy 15 Jan 2014
7 The Secret Mathematicians: the connections between maths and the arts - Marcus du Sautoy Professor Marcus du Sautoy (New College), Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science, author and broadcaster gives a talk about the connections beween art and mathematics Marcus du Sautoy 15 Jan 2014
6 Symmetry: a talk based on his second book, Finding Moonshine - Marcus du Sautoy Professor Marcus du Sautoy (New College), Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science, author and broadcaster gives a talk about symmetry and how the rules of symmetry influences our lives and the choices we make. Marcus du Sautoy 14 Jan 2014
5 The Music of the Primes: a talk about the Riemann Hypothesis and primes - Marcus du Sautoy Professor Marcus du Sautoy (New College), Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science, author and broadcaster gives a talk on 5th September 2013. Marcus du Sautoy 14 Jan 2014
4 Maths in Music: The Secret Mathematicians - Marcus du Sautoy Professor Marcus du Sautoy (New College), Charles Simonyi Chair in the Public Understanding of Science, author and broadcaster gives a talk for the 2013 Oxford Alumni Weekend. Marcus du Sautoy 14 Jan 2014
3 Love and Sex in Victorian Fiction Victorian fiction is commonly thought of as treating love sentimentally and lacking all reference to sex. In this talk drawing on material from a book he is writing, Dr David Grylls, Fellow of Kellogg College, will contest such a view. David Grylls 04 Oct 2013
2 Computation and the Future of Mathematics Stephen Wolfram, creator of Mathematica and Wolfram Alpha, gives a talk about the future of mathematics and computation. Stephen Wolfram 25 Jun 2012
1 Creative Commons The Romance of the Middle Ages Dr Nicholas Perkins talks about how romance functions as a genre in the middle ages, especially about how gifts and tokens were exchanged as signs of fidelity, specifically in Sir Orfeo, Sir Gawain, and King Horn. Nicholas Perkins 21 Jun 2012