Maths and the media - a lively debate at the British Science Festival

Last night, some of thebluedoor team went along to the British Science Festival talk on ‘Why journalists love stupid equations’. Having worked in the PR industry for many years, we were intrigued by the topic.

This extremely interesting talk was led by Simon Singh, accomplished author and journalist specialising in science and mathematics.

The seminar was packed full of people from a range of backgrounds – journalists, academics and members of the general public with an interest in the topic.

‘Why journalists love stupid equations’ focused on the use of formula by companies to promote their product or service. Humorous examples given included: the perfect goal, the perfect day to shop before Christmas, and my particular favourite - the perfect way to pour gravy. Some of these were also highlighted by Mr Singh recently in The Guardian.

Simon Singh gave a comprehensive insight into his concerns about some mathematicians who provide formulae that are only developed for promotional purposes and are not based on actual mathematics. As these types of stories tend to gain a lot of media coverage, they could cause confusion for readers over what is real and what is fantasy – potentially giving scientists and mathematicians a bad name.

The talk was informative as well as hugely enjoyable. Based on the number of questions at the end, it seems that the debate over the use of such formulae by the media and companies to promote their products is likely to go on for some time!

Having enjoyed this event so much, I’m looking forward to tomorrow night’s talk on ‘The House That Twitters’. And of course, I’ll be Tweeting about it!