29/09/2022

With varied lectures, the event excites students.

To demonstrate that mathematics is everywhere, IMPA researcher Paulo Orenstein presented the lecture "Chains and Codes." Addressing a diverse audience, Orenstein explained how he used mathematics to decipher mysterious graffiti that appeared in Rio de Janeiro.

Prompted by a professor from his undergraduate program, Orenstein created an algorithm to translate the graffiti created by visual artist Joana Lenz-Cesar. The audience watched with interest as he followed the process used to understand the code he created.

At the end of the lecture, the researcher revealed his motivation for deciphering this code. "I think it's part of a mathematician's nature to try to solve a challenge someone gives you. And also because the ideas used here had already been used elsewhere," explained Orenstein, who cited a code used by inmates in a prison in the United States.

Mathematics in everyday life

Another speaker who captivated the audience was Nina da Hora. The computer scientist and influencer spoke about the connections between mathematics and real life, and its application in everyday life.

In the audience, students of varying ages listened to the examples she gave of how mathematics is all around us. She cited cases of video and audio streaming services.

Nina da Hora also spoke about the presence of mathematics in computer and video games. "Mathematics doesn't have to be just what you see in the classroom," she explained.

After the lecture, Nina spoke with a group of students and answered their questions. "I like these invitations where I can share a bit about my journey and engage students in areas where they feel they lack the necessary skills. I think festivals like this are super important," she stated.

Coloring graphs

The last speaker of the day was Diana Sasaki Nóbrega, a researcher at the State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ). She discussed graphs, mathematical structures formed by a set of vertices connected by edges.

Diana stated that graphs are tools that help in solving problems and explained graph coloring, focusing on the four-color conjecture. The theorem states that only four colors are needed to color a map so that no two neighboring regions have the same color.

The researcher recounted the history of the four-color conjecture and cited practical examples of its use in graph coloring. "These coloring problems are very helpful because they model and help resolve conflicts, such as airplane routes or teachers in classrooms."