## Monday, February 11, 2008

### Tube Formula (general audience lecture)

The Galois Group returns for the second semester, hoping to present seven general audience lectures by staff and students. The lectures are open to everyone and registration is not required

Please make your way to Room G205 (Alan Turing Building), this Wednesday (13th) at 1:10pm, to be delighted by a lecture from Dr. Khudaverdian (the first of this semester).

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Wednesday 13th February 2008 at 1:10-2pm
Alan Turing Building - G205

By Dr Hovhannes (Hovik) Khudaverdian - Tube Formula

Abstract:
Consider a stadium which has the form of a rectangle with perimeter P. Then an area of a running track of width h of this stadium is equal to $S(h)=Ph+\pi h^2$.

It is a beautiful exercise to check that this formula also holds for an arbitrary convex polygon. We consider the generalisation of this formula for curves, polytops and arbitrary surfaces. It turns out that the n+1-volume of a running truck-tube of width h over an n+1-dimensional surface is a polynomial in $h$ of order n+1. What is the geometrical meaning oft he coefficients of this polynomial?
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The poster for the lecture can be found here, and please do inform me if the colour scheme offends you! (I am still at war with those who removed my posters....) As you might have noticed free refreshments will be available, so please please do attend if you can!

Make this the first Galois Group lecture you've attended! The usual panic about attendance is creeping into my veins you see. In terms of advertising, my battle against the cleaners has been lost, so I'm slightly apprehensive as to how many people will attend. I am aiming for an optimistic fifty, so please try and attend what promises to be a fascinating lecture! I don't think anyone can describe how fascinating and energetic Dr. Khudaverdian's lectures are, and if you unfortunately don't study geometry, this is your chance to find out.

I don't mind pulling this face in order for someone to attend! (If not for me, attend for the lecturer who would be encouraged by the support). I heard the introductions are going be slightly "interesting" shall we say... So remember, this Wednesday room G205 at 1pm!