The March poster features chaos theory.

The March poster features chaos theory.

During World Mathematical Year 2000, a sequence of posters designed at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences is being displayed month by month in the trains of the London Underground.

The posters are designed to catch the eye of tube travellers through a series of slogans, arresting pictures and mathematical puzzles.

Keith Moffatt, Director of the Institute, said: "We hope these posters will stimulate, fascinate - even infuriate! But most importantly we hope they will bring maths to life, illustrating the wide applications of modern mathematics in all branches of science - physical, biological, technological and financial."

January featured mathematics in nature, the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio. February focused on turbulence and the modelling of hurricanes, explaining that the same equations that are used to model water vapour mixing into the eye of a hurricane may be used to model cream mixing into a stirred cup of coffee. The March poster features chaos theory and the difficulties of weather prediction.

As each new poster appears it will be added to the Institute's Website, together with explanatory notes. A limited number of copies are also available to schools on request (email:info@newton.cam.ac.uk).

Further information:
The Poster Page at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences
World Mathematical Year 2000

All images are copyright 1999 A D Burbanks for the Isaac Newton Institute. Cropped versions of the poster may appear elsewhere on the News pages.


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