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Mathematician
Discovers and proves new mathematical truths — from abstract theory to applied problems.
Did you know?
Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematician from India, mailed his groundbreaking theorems to Cambridge and changed mathematics forever
How subjects help
- Mathematics: Prove a new pattern is true for every number, not just the ones you tested.
- Logic: Build a proof step by step so no gap in the reasoning is left open.
- Computer Science: Use computers to check millions of cases and hunt for one that breaks a rule.
- Physics: Find the equations that describe how waves, planets or particles move.
A famous name
Maryam Mirzakhani: Iranian mathematician at Stanford who in 2014 became the first woman to win the Fields Medal.
Try it yourself: Which dice total wins?
- Write the numbers 2 to 12 down the side of your paper. Guess which total will come up most and write your guess at the top.
- Roll both dice, add them, and put a tally mark next to that total. Do at least 36 rolls.
- Look at your tallies. Which total came up most? Which hardly ever?
- Now list every way two dice can make each total (a 7 can be 1+6, 2+5 and so on). Does the number of ways explain your results?
Statisticians and actuaries compare what actually happens with what probability predicts, which is how they price insurance, test medicines and spot when something unusual is going on.
Adapted from NRICH (University of Cambridge): A Bit of a Dicey Problem.
Also try: Make and crack a secret code.
Known for it in
USA, France, UK, Germany, Russia