Which Real Numbers are Pleasant?

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• Dr. James Cranch (University of Sheffield)
• Monday 10 November 2014, 20:30-21:30
• Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Mary Fortune.

Every well-educated fresher has already been indoctrinated with the right answer to this question: reals are either algebraic or transcendental. Algebraic numbers are obviously fantastic. By contrast, the transcendental numbers are utterly hideous and deserve no attention whatsoever, with the two exceptions of pi and e (bless their little cotton socks). Contrary to this received opinion, I’ll explain why it should be a major goal of 21st-century mathematics to reclaim more of the reals for explicit use by mathematicians, and I’ll tell you about some difficult problems that need to be solved along the way.

This talk is part of the Trinity Mathematical Society series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Guy Emerson's list
• Trinity Mathematical Society
• Winstanley Lecture Theatre, Trinity College
• bld31

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