Monday 9 June 2025
Tame and Wild:
The universe of mathematics as viewed from logic
By Dugald Macpherson
Outline: At primary school we learn to add and multiply the `natural numbers’ 0,1,2,… . At later stages we meet the integers (possibly including negatives), the rationals (fractions), the reals (decimals), and the complex numbers (including a square root of -1). One might expect that these objects become harder and harder, but from the viewpoint of model theory in mathematical logic, the oppositive is the case – the natural numbers are definitely `wild’ and the complex numbers `tame’. For example, the solution of Hilbert’s Tenth Problem says that there is no algorithm which decides, for any polynomial with integer coefficients, whether it has an integer solution. At the other extreme, there is an algorithm which decides, for every `sentence’ of logic, whether it is true of the complex numbers, and far stronger tameness properties hold. I will discuss these logical notions of `tame’ and `wild’ mathematical structure, and how, on the tame side, an abstract viewpoint from logic can have strong mathematical applications.
Speaker: Dugald Macpherson is a professor of mathematics at the University of Leeds, working in model theory (mathematical logic) and its connections to algebra and combinatorics. He completed his doctorate at Oxford in 1983, and after a series of postdocs and a position at Queen Mary, moved to Leeds in 1994.
Monday 30 June 2025
Science Cabaret:
Science Songs and Sassy Musings about the Universe
By Lynda Williams
Outline: A one-woman science-political musical about the physics, history, and existential threat of nuclear weapons from Trinity to Trident. Blending science, satire, original songs, and storytelling with projected scientific and archival visuals the show creates a unique, immersive cabaret experience, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
This is Lynda’s first tour of the UK and is part of a multi-city tour across England, Scotland, North Ireland and Belgium.
Full UK Tour here: https://scientainment.com/atomic-cabaret
Performer: Lynda Williams is a physicist, activist, and performance artist based in Hawaii. As The Physics Chanteuse she has written and performed original science cabarets for scientists at CERN, NASA, the American Physical Society, KipFest at Caltech, Stephen Hawking’s birthday bash, and for the public at the US Science Festival, the Swedish Science Festival, and many others. Her work has been featured in the New York Times , LA Times , Scientific American , People Magazine , and on NPR. Lynda is also a published writer on nuclear and environmental issues.
Both Venues: The New Headingley Club, 56 St Michaels Road, LS6 3BG
Time: Room opens 7:30, talk begins promptly at 7:45pm
Entry: Donation please for room hire and expenses: £4 at the door
Café Scientifique Headingley is a programme run under the auspices of the Headingley Development Trust
– see http://headingleydevelopmenttrust.org.uk
Our next online meeting will be:Our next online meeting will be:Monday 25th January at 7.30
“The Promise of Gravitational Waves” by Sue Bowle