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“He’s a well-known professor who has done a lot for the mathematical community,” says Professor and Chair of Mathematics Fumiko Futamura. Morgan specializes in geometry, minimal surfaces, geometric measure theory, and the calculus of variations. He has variously taught at such campuses as Rice University, Stanford University, and Princeton University, and t his fall, he is a visiting professor of mathematics at Baylor University. Morgan is the Webster Atwell Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Williams College and editor-in-chief of Notices of the American Mathematical Society. Given such wide-ranging applications, then, Morgan’s talk promises to challenge audience members in various fields to consider how blowing bubbles might help us grasp complex ideas-including understanding the universe itself. Dido cleverly chooses a seaside parcel and outlines it with the hide, which she has cut into the narrowest-possible strips, tied end to end, to maximize the area of land within, and it becomes the iconic site of Carthage. Anybody who uses math to try to solve some sort of problem typically trying to find some sort of optimal object or optimal shape, and in many cases, you’re trying to optimize the given system trying to satisfy these conditions.” Classicists, for example, might remember when Dido, in Vergil’s Aeneid, is sold as much land as could be covered by the hide of a bull. “This question of trying to find optimal objects, optimal shapes-these can be shapes with minimal surface area or that maximize some sort of equation-are of broad interest not only to pure mathematicians like us,” says Ross, “but also to applied mathematicians or economists or physicists. The soap-bubble sculptures he creates with his handmade and 3D-printed wands are “beautiful and not intuitive at all,” he remarks.Īs any Southwestern student or alum should expect, the applications of bubble-like optimization extend far beyond mathematics, affecting how we think in other disciplines. Students looking for a preview of Morgan’s talk can venture into Ross’s office to see this principle in action: his desk is topped by a number of bubble wands that demonstrate different levels of intricacy. “ One of the reasons that bubbles tend to be spherical when you blow them is because the soap film that’s created, just due to the laws of physics, tries to minimize its total surface tension, which is equivalent to minimizing its total surface area a fixed volume of air inside.” The round shape resulting from a minimal surface area enveloping a constrained volume was mathematically proven optimal in 1884. “Bubbles are a naturally occurring, fun, and pretty example of a really interesting mathematical phenomenon or idea called optimization,” says Southwestern Assistant Professor of Mathematics John Ross. Soap bubbles are also a source of wonder for mathematicians. You can find them almost everywhere, from waterfalls, waves, tree resin, lava, fish nests, and the flotation rafts of ocean-dwelling snails to mattresses, bread, glass, and fire extinguishers. Attendees can look forward to guessing contests, a game-show atmosphere with prizes, beguiling displays of bubble-blowing, and insights into the mathematical principles governing soap-bubble behavior.īubbles are far more than child’s play. He will also deliver a public lecture and demonstration on soap bubbles, which have fascinated and puzzled mathematicians for centuries. They are often gems that provide a new proof of an old theorem, a novel presentation of a familiar theme, or a lively discussion of a single issue.On November 27 at Southwestern University, renowned mathematics scholar Frank Morgan will present a departmental talk on the story and joy of mathematics. Notes are short, sharply focused, and possibly informal. Appropriate figures, diagrams, and photographs are encouraged. Novelty and generality are far less important than clarity of exposition and broad appeal. Articles may be expositions of old or new results, historical or biographical essays, speculations or definitive treatments, broad developments, or explorations of a single application. Monthly articles are meant to be read, enjoyed, and discussed, rather than just archived. The Monthly's readers expect a high standard of exposition they expect articles to inform, stimulate, challenge, enlighten, and even entertain. Authors are invited to submit articles and notes that bring interesting mathematical ideas to a wide audience of Monthly readers. Its readers span a broad spectrum of mathematical interests, and include professional mathematicians as well as students of mathematics at all collegiate levels. The Monthly publishes articles, as well as notes and other features, about mathematics and the profession.
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