Outreach
Events for Schools and Students interested in Physics and Mathematics
Each year we hold a number of regular events helping school pupils understand the importance and excitement of Physics and Mathematics. We do not expect all students who attend these events to go on to undertake a degree in Mathematics and/or Physics; but many do!
Watch our video to learn more about studying Mathematics in our School.
Mathematics and Physics UCAS Days
QUB Maths Competition for Schools
Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclass Series
Mathsweek Ireland 2019
Listen to the music of Pi
Dr Maurice McCartney worked for many years in the School of Mathematics and Physics administration offices. When Dr Brian McMaster from Pure Mathematics was about to retire in 2011, Maurice decided to write a piece of music to mark the occcasion. Trying to think of a theme that would be relevant, he hit on the idea of converting the digits of pi into notes, initially just to see what happened. (Pi is one of the numbers that governs Mathematics and Physics in our Universe.) And he was quite taken aback by the results!
Although Pi is represented by an infinite non-repeating sequence of digits, Maurice's tune takes it as far as this:
π = 3.1415926535897932384626433
If you take those digits and play the equivalent note in the scale of C (C = 1, D = 2, E = 3 and so on) you get the piano tune that opens and closes the piece (leaving out the decimal point, and using the D above the high C to get number 9). Maurice then simply harmonised the tune that emerged, and added a couple of other melodies for variety. But he insists that for the core of the piece, the credit belongs to our Universe. Let’s call it the music of the spheres!
McMasterpiece is played here by müss (Maurice Macartney, Keith Waterson, Steve McBride & Michael Speers).