We regularly take part in larger lecture series such as "The 7 greatest adventures in mathematics" or anniversary series at the University of Bonn. In addition, we also organize our own topic-specific series, such as "Mathematics and Music".
In 2025, we are planning to hold a series of lectures on "Mathematics and Music". This series was already fully planned for the Beethoven anniversary year 2020, but had to be canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
2022 (June - November): "Die 7 größten Abenteuer der Mathematik" - A nationwide series of events on the millennium problems
Valentin Blomer / Damaris Schindler: "Sind Primzahlen dem Zufall unterworfen?"
Norbert Schappacher: "Was lehrt uns die Geschichte über mathematische Probleme?"
Valentin Blomer / Damaris Schindler: "Wo steht die mathematische Forschung?"
The Millennium Problems are seven mathematical problems that - with one exception - remain unsolved to this day despite the tireless efforts of mathematicians from all over the world. The Clay Mathematics Institute is offering prize money of one million US dollars for the solution to each of these problems.
On the initiative of the Junge Akademie and the German Mathematical Society (DMV), the nationwide series of events "The 7 Greatest Adventures in Mathematics" took place from June to November 2022 on these millennium problems. Six mathematics locations in Germany and the Junge Akademie itself organized lectures, student workshops, journalist talks and experiment stations, each focusing on a millennium problem and offering insights into the adventure of mathematics.
The aim of the series of events was to make mathematics accessible and tangible for a wide audience. A current picture of mathematical research was conveyed and interest and enthusiasm for the adventure of mathematics was aroused. Both specialists and laypeople were equally addressed. The appropriately designed lectures and other formats were all very well attended and can therefore look back on a successful series.
We at the Hausdorff Center contributed to this nationwide event with a series of lectures on the Riemann conjecture, which is perhaps the best-known representative of the millennium problem. The Riemann conjecture has accompanied more than 150 years of scientific history and is one of the great challenges for the future:
Prime numbers are the atomic building blocks of numbers, but their properties are difficult to understand - they appear seemingly at random in the series of natural numbers. Riemann's conjecture states that their distribution can be described with astonishing accuracy, at least statistically. Even more fascinating, however, is the fact that Riemann's conjecture translates this statement about prime numbers into a completely different language, namely the world of analysis. The mathematics that arises in this field of tension is of fundamental importance from a theoretical and practical point of view.
A diverse panorama of this millennium problem was presented in a student event and three public lectures. A concert rounded off the event. The first two lectures on Wednesday and Thursday were aimed at a broad audience; mathematical knowledge was only required for the last lecture.
2018 (July - September): "Welt der Zahlen“ - Lecture series during the festival "200 years University of Bonn"
As part of the 200th anniversary of the University of Bonn, Bonn Mathematics organized a series of public events in the third quarter of the "World of Numbers" anniversary year. Some of the lectures were also given at the "Aktionstag Mathematik", organized by the Hausdorff Center for Mathematics.
Thoralf Räsch: "Aus eins mach zwei"
Don Zagier: "Der Zauber der Zahlen"
Bernhard Korte: "Seven nanometer and beyond - Mathematik des Chipdesigns"
Ina Prinz: "Alles was zählt. Kulturgeschichte des Rechnens"
Anna Kraut: "Mathematik in der Krebsforschung"
Stephan Held: "Mathematik im Chip-Design"
Rainer Kaenders: "Hinterm Komma geht´s weiter"
Michael Meier / Pascal Lamy: "Über das Leben Felix Hausdorffs"