Speaker: Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón (University of La Rioja)
Presented by: Carles Mesa, host of “Gente Despierta” on Radio Nacional de España
Date and time: 22 March 2018, 7:30 PM
Location: Residencia de Estudiantes (c/ Pinar, 21-23. 28006 Madrid)
Organized by: ICMAT, Deputy Vice-Presidency for Scientific Culture of CSIC, Residencia de Estudiantes
Summary: Reaching immensely large numbers has occupied mathematicians for centuries. Since the invention of computers, machines have surpassed our calculation skills, being capable of handling enormous numbers and performing extremely complex tasks. The limitations of computers underpin internet economic transactions, defended by large prime numbers that mathematicians can devise but machines cannot compute within a human lifetime. Now, the security of these algorithms seems threatened by quantum computing. Is this really the case? Or could we look for another type of number that would be uncomputable even by quantum computers?
About the speaker
Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón (Logroño, Spain, 1972) is a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computing at the University of La Rioja, a researcher in computational algebra, and a mathematics popularizer. He has made humor one of his main tools to communicate this discipline. In 2013, he won the FameLab scientific monologue contest and shortly after founded the scientific monologue group Big Van. He is scriptwriter and host of the YouTube channel Derivando, collaborates with various media outlets, and is the author of the book “Mathematical Intelligence” (Plataforma Editorial). Additionally, he gives talks, presentations, workshops, and courses on mathematical communication and outreach.