Marianne Freiberger is Editor of Plus. She joined Plus in 2005 after doing a PhD and then a three year postdoc at Queen Mary, University of London. As a researcher she worked in complex dynamics, the area of pure maths that has given us the Mandelbrot set. During her time as a researcher she also held various teaching engagements. In the world of maths communication she has been Editor-in-Chief of the Mathscareers website, given presentations to mathematicians about how to communicate their work to a wider audience, and to journalists about how to deal with maths in the media. She has been a TEDx speaker and an invited speaker at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2010.
At the beginning of an epidemic the number of infected people grows exponentially. But why does the number e appear in descriptions of this growth?
What is the growth rate and what does it tell us about an epidemic?
What is herd immunity and what does it have to do with a number called R?
We guide you through an exciting recent breakthrough in the world of topology, involving something called the telescope conjecture.
Some practical tips to help you when you need it most – when you are sitting at the keyboard, ready (or perhaps not so ready) to put your ideas on the page!
