Once again, ICMAT joins the international initiative of the Science and Technology Week, led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), with two outreach activities in mathematics for the general public, delivered by members of the Institute. The first one, “Is reality as we believe it to be? Mathematics and quantum physics to decipher it”, commemorates the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025 and is also part of the outreach series Mathematics at the Residencia. The second one, “From the path of a ball to the motion of waves”, is organised in collaboration with the Cultura Sénior Association. Both activities are free to attend until capacity is reached.
Mathematics at the Residencia, International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025
Is reality as we believe it to be? Mathematics and quantum physics to decipher it
Alberto Ibort will speak about quantum science and mathematics. Image: ICMAT
Speaker: Alberto Ibort, Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and member of ICMAT
Date and time: Tuesday, 4 November – 19:00
Venue: Residencia de Estudiantes (Calle de Pinar, 21-23 28006 Madrid)
Abstract: Mathematics allows us to look beyond what we perceive and discover that reality is not always what we believe it to be. For example, Bell’s inequalities show that, at the quantum level, particles are connected in ways that defy classical intuition. In this talk, we will briefly overview the arduous path that leads to the mathematical description of ‘reality’: from Newtonian cosmology and its evolution from Einstein’s theory of relativity, to the universe proposed by Roger Penrose, according to which there are three worlds—the physical, the mental and the mathematical—and three mysteries about how each of them connects to the other two. Finally, we will focus on the recent ‘simulation hypothesis,’ which proposes a universe with different levels of reality, from the perspective offered by recent developments in quantum technologies. This activity, in addition to being part of Science and Technology Week, is included in the celebrations of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology 2025 and in the Mathematics at the Residence series.
About the speaker: Alberto Ibort is Professor of Applied Mathematics at Carlos III University in Madrid and a permanent researcher at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences. His main contributions have been in the areas of symplectic and contact geometry and, more recently, the mathematical foundations of quantum technologies, in particular quantum tomography. He is the author of more than 160 scientific publications, has supervised 13 doctoral theses and has given numerous public lectures.
Free admission until full capacity is reached
From the path of a ball to the motion of waves
Ángel Castro will illustrate the motion of fluids. Image: Íñigo de Amescua/ICMAT
Speaker: Ángel Castro, científico titular at CSIC in ICMAT
Date and time: Thursday, 6 November – 11:00
Venue: José Saramago Municipal Public Library (Av. de Monforte de Lemos, 38, Fuencarral-El Pardo, 28029 Madrid)
Abstract: In this talk we will discuss how mathematics helps us to understand and predict the motion of fluids. After a very general introduction to the Euler and Navier–Stokes equations, we will look at some examples of phenomena that we have all experienced or observed in nature, and which we can explain thanks to them.
About the speaker: Ángel Castro Martínez (Madrid, 1982) is a senior scientist at the CSIC at the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (ICMAT). He specialises in fluid mechanics and partial differential equations. He has been a postdoctoral researcher at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris (France) and a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the Autonomous University of Madrid, where he also obtained his PhD in Mathematics. Previously, he graduated in Physics from the Complutense University of Madrid. He has published more than 30 articles in leading international journals and has been the principal investigator of four national research projects. In 2013, he was awarded the José Luis Rubio Prize in France.
Free admission until full capacity is reached
