Mahler Lectures — Brisbane
Name: | Mahler Lectures — Brisbane |
Calendar: | 1-day meetings & lectures |
When: | Tue, September 24, 2013, 12:00 am - 6:45 am |
Description: |
BiographyAkshay Venkatesh received his PhD in 2002 from Princeton University and his undergraduate degree from The University of Western Australia. His research is in pure mathematics — specifically, in number theory and related areas. His research interests are in the fields of counting, equidistribution problems in automorphic forms and number theory, in particular representation theory, locally symmetric spaces and ergodic theory. In 2008 he won the SASTRA Ramanujan Prize. This annual prize is for outstanding contributions to areas of mathematics influenced by the genius Srinivasa Ramanujan. Professor Venkatesh was a 2011 Institute of Advanced Studies Professor-at-Large.
Abstract: It was understood by Minkowski that one could prove interesting results in number theory by considering the geometry of lattices in \mathbb{R}n. (A lattice is simply a grid of points.) This technique is called the “geometry of numbers.” We now understand much more about analysis and dynamics on the space of all lattices, and this has led to a deeper understanding of classical questions. I will review some of these ideas, with emphasis on the dynamical aspects.
Abstract: How can we pack balls as tightly as possible? In other words: to squeeze as many balls as possible into a limited space, what's the best way of arranging the balls? It’s not hard to guess what the answer should be — but it’s very hard to be sure that it really is the answer! I'll tell the interesting story of this problem, going back to the astronomer Kepler, and ending almost four hundred years later with Thomas Hales. I will then talk about stacking 24-dimensional oranges: what this means, how it relates to the Voyager spacecraft, and the many things we don’t know beyond this. |
Location: | The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane Map |
URL: | http://www.austms.org.au/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=196 |
Created: | 12 Jul 2013 06:50 am UTC |
Modified: | 25 Aug 2013 10:41 pm UTC |
By: | rmoore |
Status: | Confirmed |