Public lecture - Reading Your Mind: Mathemagics

Kids start learning math the moment they start exploring the world. They use their fingers to count. Remarkably, brain researchers know that we 'see' a representation of our fingers in our brains, even when we do not use fingers in a calculation. Due to the fact that we have ten fingers, the decimal system is widespread. We use the decimal system every day while dealing with money, weight, length etc.

Are there any other number systems besides the decimal system? In this talk, we will look into this question from a magic game. The magician gives you a set of 'mindreading' cards – several cards printed with different numbers. You pick a number of your choice, and then the magician can read the number in your mind in no time. How can this be done? Some underlying magical tricks, or some underlying mathematics? Let's sit back and explore.

Playback video:

Speaker Dr Doris Haiyu ZHANG

Assistant Lecturer, Department of Mathematics, HKU

Dr Doris Haiyu ZHANG is an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at HKU. She got her PhD degree in Applied Mathematics at the City University of Hong Kong in 2009. Her research interests are asymptotic analysis, special functions, integral equations and ordinary differential equations. Dr Zhang commits to teaching and nurturing next generation’s mathematicians and her teaching areas include University Mathematics I, Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra.