{"id":16375,"date":"2020-10-04T17:02:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-04T16:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.acasinhadamatematica.pt\/?p=16375"},"modified":"2022-09-12T00:49:09","modified_gmt":"2022-09-11T23:49:09","slug":"secrets-and-lies-the-hidden-power-of-maths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.acasinhadamatematica.pt\/?p=16375","title":{"rendered":"Secrets and lies: The hidden power of maths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We think our lives unfold thanks to a mix of luck and our own personal choices. But that\u2019s not quite true. An unseen layer of mathematics governs every aspect of our world. <\/p>\n

Life\u2019s most astonishing miracles can be understood with probability. Big data dictates many of the hot new fashions we follow. Even our choices on Netflix, or our choice of who we marry, is secretly influenced by computer algorithms. <\/p>\n

In a series of lectures packed with mind-boggling demos and live experiments, Hannah<\/a> shows us how to decode life\u2019s hidden numbers; to help us all make better choices, sort fact from fiction, and lead happier lives. But she also warns how our unwavering faith in figures can lead to disaster when we get the sums wrong.  <\/p>\n

Unravelling suspicious statistics, engineering meltdowns and deadly data, Hannah asks big ethical questions about the trust we place in maths today. Are there any problems maths can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t solve? Do computer algorithms have too much control over our lives and privacy? Could A.I. decide if someone lives or dies?  <\/p>\n

Ultimately, by probing the limits of maths and its role in our modern world, Hannah ends up revealing and celebrating what makes our human minds so unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lecture 1 \u2013 How to get lucky<\/strong>
In Lecture one, Hannah seeks to find the luckiest member of the audience. It seems a sensible plan. The biggest events in your life \u2013 finding the perfect partner or a job, staying healthy and happy \u2013 rely on a huge element of luck. Or does probability allow us to understand and predict complex systems?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lecture 2 \u2013 How to bend the rules<\/strong>
In Lecture two, we see how \u2018chaining probabilities together\u2019 help us to understand even more complex systems. Through entertaining examples, Hannah shows how data-gobbling algorithms have taken over our lives and now control almost everything we do without us even realising.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lecture 3 \u2013 How can we all win?<\/strong>
In Lecture three, Hannah looks at why maths can fail and asks what the limits of maths are. Are there problems maths can\u2019t or shouldn\u2019t solve? And in an age where \u2018fake news\u2019 abounds and statistics can be twisted to prove anything, should we always trust in numbers?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n