In December, the Lecture audiences at the Royal Institution were asked to think of questions for mathematicians in CHRISTMAS LECTURES Zone. Presenter Dr Hannah Fry then chose her favourite from those submissions.

We’re pleased to announce the winner is… Ruiari from London for the question:

“What is the worst thing that could happen to the field of mathematics right now?”

Hannah answers:

“In my opinion, the worst thing that could happen to the field of mathematics right now would be for mathematicians to forget that maths is not only a way of understanding the human and physical universe, but that it is also a way of manipulating that universe.

So we as mathematicians have a responsibility to think about our work and how it might be used in the real world. If we ignore that responsibility then we will find ourselves on a very slippery slope.”

Congratulations, Ruiari! You’ve won a set of CHRISTMAS LECTURES books, signed by Hannah.