Pittsburgh Mathematical Horizons Distinguished Lecture - James A. Maynard

— 4:30pm

Location:
In Person - Frick Fine Arts Building/Library, Room 125, 650 Schenley Drive

Speaker:
JAMES A. MAYNARD, Professor of Number Theory, The Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford
https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/people/professor-james-maynard/

Join in for an inspiring lecture on the mysteries of prime numbers, presented by James A. Maynard, a Fields Medal laureate and Fellow of the Royal Society.  Prime numbers hold secrets that have fascinated mathematicians for centuries.  For instance, how often do two prime number differ by exactly 2?  This simple yet famous question remains unsolved, despite over a hundred years of dedicated effort.  Recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to number theory, Maynard will explore these enduring puzzles, revealing how patterns in prime numbers connect not only to pure mathematics but also to real-world applications, such as securing our online communications. 

Abstract  — How often do two prime numbers differ by exactly 2? This simple (and famous) question is unsolved despite mathematicians working on it for over 100 years. Moreover, basic questions like this about prime numbers turn out to lie at the heart of many important real-world questions. For example, it turns out that the security of internet communication (which we rely on whenever we buy something online) is related to basic questions about patterns in prime numbers which we don't know how to solve! I'll talk about why prime numbers are so special to mathematicians, how important questions in both pure mathematics and the real world turn out to be connected to primes, and how we are making progress towards solving these famous problems which have been studied for hundreds of years. 

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The Pittsburgh Mathematical Horizons lecture series was made possible by a generous donation of the Benter Foundation. The lectures are hosted by the University of Pittsburgh.  The lecture is  open and accessible to the science-interested public of all ages, this presentation promises to illuminate the elegance of mathematics and its profound impact on our understanding of the world.  

Reception will follow the presentation.

Poster with QR code

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