Everyday Math
Applied mathematics to everyday life: elections, sport, music, road traffic, weather, computer science, finance
Maths and sport: probability and news | Tangente
The relationship between mathematics and sport is not purely theoretical. It is used every day by athletes, by those who coach them, and by the developers who simulate them.
Goal average and rankings: sporting fairness | Tangente
Breaking ties, showcasing the spectacle of sport: that is the role of the points system, often modified over time. But does this move toward greater fairness? And how can cheating be avoided?
Percentage tennis: the maths that make you win | Tangente
Everyone talks about them, but few enthusiasts know what they really mean: probabilities play a major role in tennis, and players are best off adapting to them. Although the same issue arises in every sport, it has been studied most thoroughly in tennis.
Geometry and ball games
In ball sports, the constraints imposed by the rules have strategic implications rooted in geometry, whether the sport is team-based or individual
Sports lottery and a fractal
Gambling, long condemned on religious or moral grounds, has flourished over the past century, along with sports betting, which has grown with the rise of online gaming. Statistical studies can help optimize the winnings of the homo ludens that modern humanity has become.
Optimize athletic performance with maths | Tangente
The use of maths to optimize performance dates back to ancient Greece; today it extends to almost every discipline and is even spreading among the general public.
Finance, medicine, justice... Mistakes, yes; mathematics, no!
The media regularly blur the distinction between mathematics as a formidable tool and the ways in which some people use it—incorrectly, ideologically or with deliberately malicious intent.
A year of mathematical Olympiads
The world of mathematics competitions is the subject of the recently released film Le Monde de Nathan (see Tangente 165, page 39). This year, France has moved up the rankings. For mathematics enthusiasts, these are all opportunities to immerse themselves in the friendly, competitive atmosphere of competition.