Math/Maastricht

When you cross a bridge, what crosses your mind? Do you think about the weather, about your shopping list, or do you wonder whether you will catch the train?

As it turns out, Dutch windmills are not just national icons. They also hold a unique position in the mathematical landscape.

The modern-day incarnation of an ancient Greek goddess is a software package that provides rigorous, mathematical certainty about problems involving change.

Signals are everywhere, and they contain a lot of information. However, it is not so easy to see or to extract this information.

The cheerful statues of the Zaat Herremenieke are connected to hundreds of mathematicians worldwide, who work in a field called game theory.

The ability to reason gives humans an edge over beings driven by evolution, like cancer cells or animals. The outcome of this power imbalance varies depending on where you look.

The importance of fairness and balance is not to be underestimated. It comes with unique challenges, both on a mathematical and on a personal level.

Giving directions is an art. How do you give directions that are not only precise, but which also remain valid in whatever unforeseen situation comes up?

…that is not the question. At least, not according to Mathias Staudigl. He is more concerned with the how of learning in and outside of game theory.

…with no problems? Hill climbing isn’t straightforward, whether that is for someone taking on a snowy mountain or for a computer trying to find solutions in an abstract space.

Did you ever stop to think whether you solved a puzzle in the most efficient way possible? Math is here to help, and you may want to pay special attention if you marshal trains for a living.

Biology and mathematics offer a lot to each other. One has all sorts of interesting data, while the other knows how to put it to work.