This is a blog about mathematics. Not the mathematics taught in schools or universities, the maths where you have to solve problems and take tests. The maths we want to talk about are the maths in our lives: the maths that are used constantly in newspapers, finance, assessment, design, health, criminology and a million other places.
The articles in this blog will be devoted to the mathematics being used and misused, visibly or invisibly, in current affairs, particularly court cases. We hope to eventually invite guest writers to contribute articles. We'll also write about maths education in general; it could hardly be more relevant, given that it’s the failings in mathematics education that lead to the errors and misuses of maths in public affairs – and to the fact that they can take so long to be pointed out and recognized!
For this first post, we’d like to introduce ourselves and our forthcoming book, Maths on Trial.
Leila: My name is Leila Schneps, I am a professional research mathematician, and I live in Paris, France. I have four children, and apart from my work, which I’m crazy about, I love classical music, unusual tidbits from history, and crime fiction, especially British cozies. I also have an irresistible tendency to follow certain international court cases (such as the Amanda Knox trial in Italy, and now the DSK disaster in New York) in exhausting detail. I spend most of my spare time writing; I’ve published mysteries and puzzle solving books under a pen name, not to mention my newest book co-authored with my daughter Coralie. My dream vacations are just about anywhere on the Mediterranean, with Greek islands preferred.
Coralie: My name is Coralie Colmez, I studied mathematics in Caius college at Cambridge, and graduated with a first in June 2009. I worked for a year as assistant to Carol Vorderman, and researcher on the report she wrote with the Maths Taskforce, about maths education in England. I live in London where I tutor children of all ages in maths, and spend the rest of my time giving my oven a workout, to the delight of my flatmates. I travel as much as I can, play the violin (occasionally) and read classic masterpieces, romance novels, and everything in between.
Our book: Maths on Trial covers ten criminal cases in each of which, at a crucial point, a mathematical mistake played a significant role. The cases cover more than a century, half a dozen countries, and several ways in which mathematics is used in criminology - be it DNA analysis, database trawling, proving discrimination, making handwriting comparisons, or calculating probability of guilt.
Maths on Trial is not published yet, but it is in the capable hands of our wonderful agent, Andrew Lownie, and we hope for good news soon!
