# irish times (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover irish times. Page: Feed: --- ## [Space-quakes in a Teacup](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/07/16/space-quakes-in-a-teacup/) _2026-07-16 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ When tapped at any of the four cardinal points (North, South, East or West), a teacup with its handle towards the North emits the same ringing sound; when the tap is displaced by 45°, the note is about a semitone higher. The tapping distorts the circular rim, which is rapidly stretched and squeezed in perpendicular … Continue reading Space-quakes in a Teacup → ## [A Dramatic Change in Barcelona’s Skyline](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/06/18/a-dramatic-change-in-barcelonas-skyline/) _2026-06-18 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ The Tower of Jesus Christ, part of the Basilica de la Sagrada Família, was inaugurated last week. The basilica is the magnum opus of visionary architect Antoni Gaudí, considered the great master of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí’s unique architecture is evident throughout Barcelona but his crowning glory is the Sagrada Família \[TM282 or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com\]. … Continue reading A… ## [The Spectrum of the Rainbow and the Benefits of Blue Sky Research](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/05/21/the-spectrum-of-the-rainbow-and-the-benefits-of-blue-sky-research/) _2026-05-21 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ In blue sky research, real-world applications are not the immediate goal. Purely curiosity-driven science can challenge accepted theories and lead to entirely new fields of study. The mathematical techniques devised by Sligo-born scientist George Gabriel Stokes to elucidate the physics of rainbows are crucial in fibre-optic communication, so vital today in our technical world. Stokes’ … Continue… ## [The Eiffel Tower is to become a Beacon of Equality](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/04/16/the-eiffel-tower-is-to-become-a-beacon-of-equality/) _2026-04-16 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Sophie Germain, born in Paris 250 years ago this month, spent long periods at home while growing up in the politically turbulent era of the French Revolution. Studying in her father’s library, she was captivated by mathematics when she read of the life and death of Archimedes. Her parents were initially opposed to her interest, … Continue reading The Eiffel Tower is to become a Beacon of Equality… ## [This is Also a Love Story – Events (more tba)](https://sallyhayden.net/2026/04/11/this-is-also-a-love-story-events-more-tba/) _2026-04-11 · Sally Hayden · Sally Hayden_ Open House Bangor (with Brian Rowan), 12.30pm, August 23, 2026 Edinburgh International Book Festival (with Roxani Krystalli and Esa Aldegheri), 5,15pm, August 28, 2026 Maynooth Bookshop (with Katriona O’Sullivan), 6.30pm September 22, 2026 Caper bookshop, Oxford, 7.30pm, September 23, 2026 Wigtown Book Festival, 4.30pm, September 25, 2026 Politics and Prose, Washington DC, 3pm, October 4, \[…\] ## [In Reckoning Easter, the disciples of Patrick were ahead of Rome](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/03/19/in-reckoning-easter-the-disciples-of-patrick-were-ahead-of-rome/) _2026-03-19 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ The date of Easter Sunday, the great Christian festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, is determined by an amalgam of astronomy, mathematics and pragmatism, an algorithm that determines the date in accordance with the motions of the Sun and Moon \[TM279 or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com\]. The ecclesiastical equinox is fixed on 21 March, which … Continue reading In Reckoning… ## [From perches to petaflops: the evolution of rational measurement](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/02/19/from-perches-to-petaflops-the-evolution-of-rational-measurement/) _2026-02-19 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Precise measurements are indispensable in science and technology. Belfast-born William Thomson — later Lord Kelvin — expressed their importance, stating, “When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it. If you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind” … Continue reading From perches to petaflops:… ## [‘This is Also a Love Story: Searching for Good in a Divided World’ – available now](https://sallyhayden.net/2026/01/26/this-is-also-a-love-story/) _2026-01-26 · Sally Hayden · Sally Hayden_ Selected praise: “In this original and heart-warming book, Sally Hayden chronicles both the astonishing acts of bravery that love inspires, as well as the touchingly ordinary connections people make in extraordinary times. By finding beauty amidst ugliness, she finds a way of making our fractured world whole again.” — Lindsey Hilsum, International Editor for Channel 4 \[…\] ## [The Shape and Size of the Universe: Curvature is Key](https://thatsmaths.com/2026/01/15/the-shape-and-size-of-the-universe-curvature-is-key/) _2026-01-15 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Is the universe finite or infinite in extent? This question has been a preoccupation of philosophy for millennia, and scientists continue to grapple with it. Wherever infinity appears, paradox looms up. Given the finite speed of light, an infinite cosmos would have regions forever unknowable to us. But even a finite cosmos presents perplexities: if … Continue reading The Shape and Size of the… ## [Who Invented the Digital Computer? There’s No Simple Answer.](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/12/18/who-invented-the-digital-computer-theres-no-simple-answer/) _2025-12-18 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ The simple question of who invented the digital computer has many possible answers. Several strands of development — both theoretical and practical — converged around 1950, and no single inventor can be identified. Before that time, numerous mechanical calculating machines were devised and constructed. These greatly facilitated the preparation of mathematical tables, crucial for engineering …… ## [Follow Releases, Get Reminders (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/QZMwOwNjOhC5) _2025-12-18 · **Sponsored**_ Follow a genre or a name and receive reminders on release day — free. ## [The Hindu-Arabic Numerals: a Blessing for Modern Civilisation](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/11/20/the-hindu-arabic-numerals-a-blessing-for-modern-civilisation/) _2025-11-20 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Directly opposite the RDS in Dublin, on the site of the former AIB headquarters, stand two impressive new office blocks separated by a plaza, Fibonacci Place. Leonardo Bonacci — known as Fibonacci, the son of Bonaccio — lived from 1170 to about 1245 AD. It is he who we must thank for bringing us the … Continue reading The Hindu-Arabic Numerals: a Blessing for Modern Civilisation → ## [Music and Maths are Inextricably Intertwined.](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/10/16/music-and-maths-are-inextricably-intertwined/) _2025-10-16 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ A crucial link between mathematics and music is nicely illustrated by the Tonnetz, a geometric diagram representing the harmonic relationships between the notes of the musical scale. An early version of the Tonnetz appeared in Leonhard Euler’s book Tentamen novae theoriae musicae (A new theory of music), published in 1739 \[TM274 or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com\]. A modern … Continue… ## [John von Neumann: Computer Wizard and AI Visionary](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/09/18/john-von-neumann-computer-wizard-and-ai-visionary/) _2025-09-18 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ With unique and outstanding achievements in mathematics and science, John von Neumann was on an intellectual level far above us; the oft-misused term genius truly applies to him. Von Neumann, brilliant in both pure and applied mathematics, was a towering figure of 20th century science. As a child, he demonstrated a prodigious memory and computational … Continue reading John von Neumann: Computer… ## [Finding a Horseshoe on the Beaches of Rio](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/08/21/finding-a-horseshoe-on-the-beaches-of-rio/) _2025-08-21 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ In 1966, American mathematician Steve Smale was awarded a Fields Medal, a kind of Nobel Prize for mathematics. At a press conference at the International Congress of Mathematicians in Moscow, Smale attacked both US and Russian foreign policy. He was vehemently opposed to military aggression by the two super-powers. His pacifist position resulted in serious … Continue reading Finding a Horseshoe on… ## [Going for Gold: Henri Poincaré and Solar System Stability](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/07/17/going-for-gold-henri-poincare-and-solar-system-stability/) _2025-07-17 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ In his classical textbook on mechanics, Edmund Whittaker described the three-body problem as “the most celebrated of all dynamical problems”. From 1906 to 1912, Whittaker was Andrews Professor at Trinity College Dublin and Royal Astronomer of Ireland. The three-body problem is to determine the motion of three massive bodies moving in space under mutual gravitational … Continue reading Going for… ## [The Future of Physics may be Surreal](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/06/19/the-future-of-physics-may-be-surreal/) _2025-06-19 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Imagine the Earth were to shrink to the size of a marble. We might be in trouble, but the planet would continue its smooth course around the Sun while the Moon would maintain its orbit, circling Earth once a month. Isaac Newton proved that the Earth’s gravitational pull would be the same even if all … Continue reading The Future of Physics may be Surreal → ## [The James Webb Telescope: Viewing the Universe from Lagrange Point L2](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/05/15/the-james-webb-telescope-viewing-the-universe-from-lagrange-point-l2/) _2025-05-15 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ There are five sweet spots where a spacecraft can keep pace with Earth as both orbit the Sun. They are called the Lagrange points, after Joseph-Louis Lagrange, the brilliant Italian and naturalized French mathematician who found special solutions to what is called the “three-body problem”. To locate the second Lagrange point, L2, draw a line … Continue reading The James Webb Telescope: Viewing the… ## [Euler’s Identity: the Most Beautiful Equation in Mathematics](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/04/17/eulers-identity-the-most-beautiful-equation-in-mathematics/) _2025-04-17 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ A recent entry in the visitor’s book of the James Joyce Tower & Museum in Sandycove, Dublin perplexed the Friends of Joyce’s Tower, the volunteers who run the museum. The entry, reproduced as the boxed equation in the photograph, seemed as impenetrable as a passage of Finnegans Wake and quite beyond decryption. When invited to … Continue reading Euler’s Identity: the Most Beautiful Equation in… ## [The Emergence of Spring](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/03/20/the-emergence-of-spring/) _2025-03-20 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ At 9.01AM today, the Sun crosses the Earth’s equator, marking the vernal equinox, the date when the direction of sunrise is due east and sunset due west. The Earth’s axis is at right angles to the line from Sun to Earth, the Sun is directly over the equator and the lengths of day and night … Continue reading The Emergence of Spring → ## [Quantum Physics, a Century Old, still Passes Understanding](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/02/20/quantum-physics-a-century-old-still-passes-understanding/) _2025-02-20 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ This is the International Year of the Quantum, celebrating quantum science and its many applications. This year marks the centenary of Werner Heisenberg’s seminal work in modern physics. In recent years, there have been dramatic developments in quantum communications, cryptography and computing, and quantum science is key to solving pressing problems in clean energy, climate … Continue reading… ## [Dissecting Series A Rounds (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/cC3vaYVgUG3U) _2025-02-20 · **Sponsored**_ Two real Series A cases: timelines, investor sequencing, and common founder mistakes. ## [Surprising Discoveries in the Family Tree of Mathematics](https://thatsmaths.com/2025/01/16/surprising-discoveries-in-the-family-tree-of-mathematics/) _2025-01-16 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ The German word Doktorvater for a doctoral advisor indicates the close relationship between a PhD student and his or her supervisor. The relationship is often pivotal in determining the future career of the student, and the advisor also gains much from the interaction. Just as a genealogical tree can reveal fascinating information, a mathematical family … Continue reading Surprising Discoveries in… ## [The Surprising Utility of Square Wheels](https://thatsmaths.com/2024/12/19/the-surprising-utility-of-square-wheels/) _2024-12-19 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ The London Eye, a vast observation wheel with a diameter of 120 metres, on the south bank of the River Thames, opened in 2000. Resembling an enormous bicycle wheel, it has 32 passenger capsules, each weighing ten tons, attached to its circumference. Each capsule holds 25 people, so up to 800 may be on the … Continue reading The Surprising Utility of Square Wheels → ## [Fermi Resonance and Climate Change](https://thatsmaths.com/2024/11/28/fermi-resonance-and-climate-change/) _2024-11-28 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main culprit in causing our climate to change, but it is only recently that a key property of CO2 has been elucidated. This is linked to a surprising interaction between the molecular vibrations of carbon dioxide: the various modes of vibration of the molecules resonate with each other in a … Continue reading Fermi Resonance and Climate Change → ## [The Never-ending Quest for Enormous Prime Numbers](https://thatsmaths.com/2024/11/21/the-never-ending-quest-for-enormous-prime-numbers/) _2024-11-21 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ The ongoing search for ever-larger prime numbers continues apace. Primes are the atoms of arithmetic: every whole number is a unique product of primes. For example, 21 is the product of primes 3 and 7, while 23 is itself prime. The primes play a central role in pure mathematics, in the field of number theory, … Continue reading The Never-ending Quest for Enormous Prime Numbers → ## [Joining Forces to Improve Weather Forecasts](https://thatsmaths.com/2024/10/17/joining-forces-to-improve-weather-forecasts/) _2024-10-17 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ Since 1950, there has been a quiet but steady revolution in meteorology, and especially in numerical weather prediction (NWP). The growth in accuracy, range and scope of weather forecasts over the past half-century has been spectacular. As late as the mid-1970s, forecasts were seriously unreliable. The diagram illustrates the inexorable increase in skill of the … Continue reading Joining Forces to… ## [Hamilton’s Dynamics: a Prescient Framework for Quantum Mechanics](https://thatsmaths.com/2024/09/19/hamiltons-dynamics-a-prescient-framework-for-quantum-mechanics/) _2024-09-19 · thatsmaths · ThatsMaths_ While mathematics may be viewed as an abstract creation, its origins lie in the physical world. The need to count animals and share food supplies led to the development of the concept of numbers. With five-fingered hands, we naturally tended to count in tens. Arithmetic methods were needed to allocate land, organize armies and calculate … Continue reading Hamilton’s Dynamics: a Prescient Framework…