Contact Info
Pure MathematicsUniversity of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
N2L 3G1
Departmental office: MC 5304
Phone: 519 888 4567 x43484
Fax: 519 725 0160
Email: puremath@uwaterloo.ca
John Baez, University of California - Riverside
The number 24 plays a central role in mathematics thanks to a series of
"coincidences" that is just beginning to be understood. One of the first
hints of this fact was Euler's bizarre "proof" that
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + ... = -1/12
which he obtained before Abel declared that "divergent series are the
invention of the devil". Euler's formula can now be understood rigorously
in terms of the Riemann zeta function, and in physics it explains why
bosonic strings work best in 26= 24+2 dimensions. The fact that
1^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + ... + 24^2
is a perfect square then sets up a curious link between string theory, the
Leech lattice (the densest known way of packing spheres in 24 dimensions)
and a group called the Monster. A better-known but closely related fact
is the period-12 phenomenon in the theory of modular forms. We shall do
our best to demystify some of these deep mysteries
DC 1302
Refreshments will served in DC 1301 at 3:00pm
Departmental office: MC 5304
Phone: 519 888 4567 x43484
Fax: 519 725 0160
Email: puremath@uwaterloo.ca
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is centralized within our Office of Indigenous Relations.