17/05/2018

A night of math and beer fills a bar in the Botanical Garden.

Durante 1h30, Marcelo Viana e Ricardo Rosa bateram um papo com o público

Karine Rodrigues

When the clock strikes 7:30 pm, it's time to close the doors of Jarbô, where, daily, it's possible to enjoy snacks, beers, a hearty coffee or even a full meal. But this Wednesday (16), curiously, the place started to fill up precisely at the usual closing time. Located inside the Botanical Garden, those who were there, at such an atypical time, were attracted exclusively by two reasons: mathematics and beer.

“Ricardo and I are flattered to see the house full. I’m sure it was the charm and allure of mathematics that brought you all here. Some people are trying to undermine my conviction and say it’s because of the beer, but I’m not going to believe that,” joked Marcelo Viana, director-general of IMPA.

Together with Ricardo Rosa, a full professor at the Institute of Mathematics at UFRJ, he began the chat "Two beers and sit down, because here comes a story: how mathematics is behind the science and art of good beer," held after an invitation from the organizers of Pint of Science, a worldwide science outreach event that mobilized 21 countries with a diverse program on the 14th, 15th, and 16th.

The jocular tone of Marcelo's statement is understandable, considering that, in Brazil, mathematics is still viewed in a biased way. Although it is not a national prerogative, the fact is that the subject arouses a suspicious gaze, which, as was perceived during the conversation, can easily become interesting when the subject is linked to themes and situations that are part of everyday life.

Na última noite do Pint of Science, público encheu o Jarbô

Contrary to what many imagine, mathematics is present in everyday life, Marcelo reminded us, noting that although there aren't always immediate applications or even applications for the research done by those in the field, it is fundamental to our lives.

To illustrate this, he told a story related to the other topic of interest of the evening, about the creation of a field called statistical inference. It took place at the end of the 19th century in Ireland, when Guinness, responsible for the beer of the same name, was grappling with the following question: how to increase production without compromising quality?

The company had hired a recent Oxford University graduate, William Gosset (1837-1937), and decided that the young man, having studied mathematics in his undergraduate studies, should be “less afraid” of the subject than the other employees. Chosen to lead the work team, he dedicated himself and discovered how to make sampling more reliable, creating a mathematical theory that could be used in many situations. “A fundamental detail in mathematics is that it has the ability to take two distinct problems and treat them in the same way,” observed Marcelo, adding that Gosset's knowledge was later widely applied, such as in election polls.

The audience actively interacted. They wanted to know, for example, about ways to bring the mathematical knowledge produced in universities and research institutes closer to companies and, in turn, to application. And since the discussion was being broadcast live on IMPA's Facebook page , questions also arose from internet users, who were curious about Brazil's chances of winning the next Fields Medal, considered the Nobel Prize of Mathematics, and ways to increase female participation among OBMEP award winners, an annual competition held by IMPA. Artur Avila, incidentally, the Brazilian who won the Fields Medal in 2014, was at one of the tables, attentive to the conversation.

Marcelo Viana, diretor-geral do IMPA, e Artur Avila, medalha Fields 2014

Leandro Lobo, a microbiologist at UFRJ and organizer of Pint of Science in Rio, confessed to suffering from math anxiety, a topic also addressed by Marcelo, and inquired about ways to make the subject less daunting. As a brewer, he also wanted to know about software used for calculations in the craft brewing process.

Faced with the questions, Marcelo alternated with Ricardo, who, although an award-winning brewer, confessed that mathematics is indeed his greatest passion and was very useful when producing several widely known labels. For him, disseminating mathematics through beer is a great idea. "One of the reasons I became fascinated with beer production was seeing this relationship," he said.

Coordenador do Pint of Science no Rio, Leandro Lobo destacou a importância do evento

The audience was curious about the ways to incorporate mathematics into the hands-on work. According to Ricardo, ordinary differential equations and partial differential equations appear both in chemical reactions and in the movement of the fluid undergoing fermentation during beer preparation. Not to mention the mathematics present in the work of engineers who develop new types of fermenters.

"Mathematical concepts were created purely for the amusement of mathematicians and, eventually, decades later, became practical applications," Ricardo pointed out, citing the cases of beer production and cryptography.

Based on the audience interaction during the chat, which lasted about an hour and a half, both the beer and the mathematics attracted the attention of those who went to Jarbô. "Part of our motivation here is to contribute a little to bringing mathematics closer to society," said Marcelo at the beginning of the evening. Given the participation with questions, live and via Facebook, and the applause at the end of the conversation, the objective was achieved. Cheers!