Mathematics Intervarsities 2009

April 3rd-5th, 2009

The annual Mathematics Intervarsities are being hosted this year by UCC. The action begins with registration in the Old Bar on campus at 8pm on Friday, April 3rd. A map of the main campus is available for those of you not familiar with UCC. The old bar is located beside the main restaurant, opposite the side entrance of the Windle building. The exam itself will take place on Saturday in Boole Basement Room 4 from 10am-1pm, with the results being announced on Sunday at 10am in Kane Building Room G1. May the best college win!

AGM 2009

Monday, March 23rd, 2009, 8.15pm, CE G10

The Annual General Meeting of UCC Mathsoc will take place on Monday, March 23rd at 8.15pm in Civ Eng G10. Anyone who is interested in being a committee member of the society next year should attend, as next year's committee will be selected. Please come and show your support for your fellow classmates as selections often come down to an audience vote. Best of luck everyone!

MCM (Mathematical Contest In Modelling) 2008 - Post Mortem

Monday, January 26th, 2009, 7pm, CE 110

MCM is a contest where teams of undergraduates use mathematical modelling to present their solutions to real world problems. MCM will take place February 5-9, 2009. If you are interested in taking part this year, or would just to like hear how last year's teams dealt with the MCM problem, then come along to our infomation session this Monday, January 26th at 7pm in CE110. Click here for the official MCM website and see our own MCM page for information on previous entrants from UCC.

Boole Prize Results

Congratulations to Barry Leacy (F Maths 4) who won this year's Boole Prize with a talk entitled "Iannis Xenakis and Stochastic Music". Well done to everyone who took part. We'd like to give special thanks to Dima Rachinskii, Denis Flynn and Suzanne O'Regan for taking the time out to judge the competition. Barry walked away with an impressive glass trophy (complete with it's own wooden cabinet!) and a cash prize of 100 euro for his effort. Well done also to Stephen McCarthy and Aoife O'Donovan who won 2nd and "Best First Year" prizes respectively.

Boole Prize 2009 - Next Monday!

Monday, January 19th, 2009, 7pm, CE 110

The annual Boole Prize competition will take place next Monday, the 19th of January at 7pm in Civ Eng 110. Any speakers interested in participating please speak to your class reps or contact us via email. For more info on this prestigious event see our competitions page.

Mathsoc - Physsoc Christmas Party - CHANGE OF VENUE

Thursday, December 11th, 2008, 6.30 pm, AL 9

Please note that the Mathsoc-Physoc Christmas Party is taking place in AL9 at 6:30pm tonight, not in Kane G8 at 7 as previously advertised. Happy Christmas everyone!

Mathsoc Photos

Posted: December 4th, 2008

Due to some technical difficulties all the photos from the Mystery Tour and the hugely successful Maths/Physics Ball are not yet up on the web. :( We have lots of pictures of 4th years but unfortunately not so many of people in other years so if you have any pictures that you'd like to see put on the website please email them onto us at uccmathsoc@gmail.com with Webmaster as the subject line. I hope to get this issue resolved as soon as possible so keep an eye on the website for updates! The first batch of Mystery Tour Photos and Ball Photos are available here.

Mathsoc - Physsoc Christmas Party

Thursday, December 11th, 2008, 7.00pm, Kane G8

It's that time of year again, Christmas! Woo hoo! Yes, Christmas is fast approaching and in time-honoured tradition the Mathsoc and Physsoc are hosting their annual Christmas party next Thursday, the 11th of December. There will be festive treats galore on the night so please come and join in the festivities. We'd like to see people from every year attending, and if lecturers are around, do pop in and say hello!

Lecture 6: Dynamics of Geological Fold Initiation

Monday, November 24th, 2008, 7.30pm, CE 110

Dr. Kieran Mulchrone will present the latest in the series of Mathsoc talks on Monday next, the 24th of November. His talk is on the topic of "Dynamics of Geological Fold Initiation". Dr. Mulchrone works in the area of Fluid Mechanics so this talk would be suitable for anyone with an interest in that area.

The MathsPhysics Ball 2008 - Newsflash!

Posted: November 17th, 2008

As you must all be aware of by now, the MathsPhysics Ball 2008 will take place on Thursday, November 27th in the Clarion Hotel. This is a new, bigger and flashier venue for the ball so we are all very excited about it! There will be a wine reception for those with full tickets at 6:30 pm in the hotel. Entertainment will be provided by the brilliant Deuce's Wild, followed by DJ. Tickets cost 45 euro for full tickets and 20 euro for afters tickets, who will be permitted entry after the meal, speeches and fun prize giving at 10pm. Tickets will be available this Wednesday from your usual Mathsoc reps.

Superbrain - The Results

Wednesday, November 19th, 2008, 7:30pm, CE 110

The solutions to the 26th annual Superbrain paper will be presented this Wednesday in CE 110 at 7:30 pm. This event is worth going to even if you did not attempt the Superbrain this year, as it will show you simple techniques for approaching seemingly difficult problems. And of course, the winners will be announced and presented with their prizes and places on the UCC Intervarsity Team. Best of luck to all who entered the competition this year.

The Maths Cup

Posted: November 6th, 2008

The annual Maths Cup (soccer) tournament is underway once again and looks to be just as controversial as last year! There will be one team representing each year and the winners will be presented with prizes at the Maths Ball on November 27th. Playoffs are likely to be played early in that week. If you are interested in playing on your year's team please contact your mathsoc rep for more information.

The Superbrain Competition

Wednesday, November 12th, 2008, 6:30pm, Boole 4

The 26th annual Superbrain competition will take place this coming Wednesday, at 6:30pm in Boole 4. Following Prof. Des McHale's retirement from setting the paper last year, this year's paper will be set by Dr. Stephen Wills, Dr. Anca Mustata and Dr. Ben McKay but it should have a similar format to previous years. This exam will be 3 hours long and the best performing students on the night will be selected to represent UCC at the Maths Intervarsities in UCC next April, as well as at the International Maths Competition (IMC) next summer. Last year the IMC was held in Bulgaria so this is certainly a brilliant opportunity for the winners. Furthermore, the winners will receive cash prizes and trophies. There will also be a cash prize for the best first year. For further information and past exam papers please see the competitions section of the website. The questions really aren't as bad as you might think! The Superbrain competition is well worth doing as a test of your general problem solving skills. Hope to see you all there and the very best of luck!

More Upcoming Events

This term has been one of the busiest yet for the Mathsoc so it's no suprise that as well as all the events listed below, we have lots more planned to keep ye entertained. Keep an eye on the website for further details of the Superbrain competition which will take place on the 12th of November. For those of you who don't know what the Superbrain is check out the competitions section of the website. Also the highlight of the academic year *The MathsPhysics Ball* is taking place on November 27th in the Clarion Hotel, which we are all hugely excited about. Check out the photos on the website to see what all the fuss is about! More details will be posted on the website as soon as they are confirmed. Also Physics and Chemistry are hosting a Fancy Dress Halloween Party in Clancy's Bar at 8pm on Thursday (followed by a trip to the Liquid Lounge) and they have extended a special invite to Maths students. Happy Halloween everyone!

Mathsoc Table Quiz

Wednesday, 5th November 2008, 8pm, Old Bar

Following the huge success of the Mathsoc Table Quiz last year we are proud to announce the second annual Mathsoc Table Quiz! Entry costs 5 euro per person and don't worry, we know how much ye all love maths but it's not all maths questions! It's mainly general knowledge with a couple of fun rounds (can't go into more detail for obvious reasons) so if you want to bring non-maths people that's perfectly ok. No need to let us know your teams in advance, just turn up on the night. Don't worry if you're on your own, you won't be the only one, we'll set you up with a team. And oh yes, there are cash prizes, woo hoo!

Bake Sale

Wednesday, 29th October 2008, 11 am, Boole Basement

Baking might not immediately spring to mind when one thinks of the Mathsoc but this looks set to change! Our wonderful auditor Sarah Jane and secretary Aoife will be creating some delicious treats for us all, in the name of fundraising for the Iona Chaplaincy. So if you want a taste of the action, and fancy helping raise money for charity, then get there early and support our bake sale. Mmmm....I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!

Lecture 5: Mathematics Still has Room for Great Ideas

Wednesday, 22rd October 2008, 7.30pm, Kane G2

A big welcome home to Cork for UCC maths graduate (and Associate Professor of Mathematics) Peter Hegarty, who is a highly accomplished mathematician now lecturing in Sweden. During his trip to Ireland he will be presenting a talk on the subject of Kakeya sets. In particular he will present a solution to a problem that has baffled Fields Medal winners and the best mathematicians all over the world for the last decade. The problem was solved earlier this year by a young Israeli computer scientist, using just elementary secondary school calculus techniques and a small bit of linear algebra. Our speaker has won the Superbrain competition four times (see our competitions section) so he will be available for hints and tips for the upcoming competition! Interested? Then come along to the talk on Wednesday night in the new location of Kane G2 (not Boole 2 as previously advertised).

Lecture 4: Lock, Stock and Barrell

Monday, 20th October 2008, 7.30pm, Civ Eng 110

It's been a busy term for the maths society and as usual we are holding a Monday night talk on October 20th. This time sees Dr. Dima Rachinskii of the Applied Maths Department speak about topics in applied maths related to one of his favourite films. He will explain about locking systems, stocks and barrells in locking systems. Same time, same place, we'll see you there.

Lecture 3: President's Talk - Prove It!

Monday, 13th October 2008, 7.30pm, Civ Eng 110

The President of the mathsoc, Dr. Martin Killian, is due to speak to the maths society on Monday, October 13th. His talk will consist of a series of fun proofs and will look at an elementary topic from a number of different angles.

Mystery Tour!

Wednesday, 15th October 2008

Yes, it's that time of year again, mystery tour time! Tickets are now available from your (mathsoc) class representatives at a cost of €15. We will meet at the Thirsty Scholar at 6:30 pm, where drinks deals will be available, before heading off to a pub God knows where! It's a mystery! Thanks to our lovely Social Sec for organising the mystery tour this year, it looks to be a great nite as usual. Keep an eye on the website for pics of the night, they will be up on the web shortly after the mystery tour.

Lecture 2: Postgraduate Opportunites

Monday, 6th October 2008, 7.30pm, Civ Eng 110

The second lecture of term will focus on the options for postgraduate study in maths and applied maths. Included in this talk will be a presentation from Hugh McNamara of the Applied Maths Department and a talk by Suzanne, a second year PhD student of mathematical modelling. They will speak about life as a postgrad in UCC and about their research topics. This talk will be of particular interest to final year students but students from other years should also find it very informative.

Lecture 1: Dr. Tom Carroll - Numbers

Monday, 29th September 2008, 7.30pm, Civ Eng 110

Dr. Tom Carroll will be giving the opening talk of the year on the subject of "Numbers". In particular he will look at the important numbers "pi" and "e" and will investigate some interesting properties of these numbers in his own distinctive style. We will also be electing a "First Year Rep" onto the committee after the talk (and before the usual trip to the pub) so if you are interested in this position and want to find out more about what the role involves, please contact us. Do come along and tell all your friends!

Mathsoc 2007-2008 Overview

The academic year is almost over, the exams are coming and the 2007-2008 mathsoc events are almost exhausted. With another successful year down, a word of congrats should be given to this years committee. They managed to bring in great crowds into our social events such as the Mystery Tour and the Maths/Physics Ball [Many photos are on the website if you didn't already know]. Additionally the 25th and final Des MacHale Superbrain featured a packed audience. Who would have known, that so many people would want to do a voluntary maths exam. Then in our other competitions, two teams achieved the prestigious meritorious award in the MCM, our UCC team came second in the national IV competition and the Maths Cup was full of controversy.

This website was nominated for the "Best Society Website" award. Unfortunately we didn't get the prize this year, but with a little more tweaking and extra features coming next year, I'm sure we will get the title for the years to come.

Mathsoc A.G.M.

The A.G.M. went off without a hitch this year. Take a look at the new commitee. Congratulations to the new Committee.

The New Site is Here

Posted 20 September, 2007

Welcome to the new, improved and shiny mathsoc website. Tributes should be made to Eammon Murray who created the previous one which managed to last a total of seven years. However, I thought it was time for major revamp. Ideal as I wanted to achieve, I was not able to complete everything I had planned this summer. However, the major sections are all done and many new features have been added. This website can be broken down into several separate sections as shown on the top menu bar. These include current events, the committee pages as well as the annual mathsoc competitions and the annual mathsoc social events. Shortly, the Diversions section will be sorted out.

I would appreciate any comments and/or suggestions about this website. Any spelling issues, mistakes or broken links can be easily corrected once known. Just email uccmathsoc@gmail.com with Webmaster as the subject line. Providing my forth year time constraints, I will sort it out.