Register for this Imperial Lates to receive a preview of the full programme of live demonstrations, workshops and talks, and help us track attendance numbers.

Please note that registration alone does not guarantee seats for our talks, tours or workshops. However those who have pre-registered will be given the first opportunity to book places on anything with limited spaces.

Countdown to Christmas with a festive evening celebration by numbers where you can tackle mind bendingpuzzles and make your own maths inspired tree decorations.

Join our world leading mathematicians for a warming beverage and learn hear how they visualise the equations they mull over, why the idea of inherent maths genius is a myth, and how Maths is being applied to understand everything from black holes to how people behave in crowds

16 great green things to see and do at Imperial Lates: XMATHS

• Explore how Maths can explain and predict our natural world; from global temperature change, to the size of the next big tsunami, with our Maths of Planet Earth CDT team

• Enter our games and puzzles area where you can attempt mind bending feats of logical thinking, battle a chess grandmaster, tackle 300 year old conundrums and use code to detect liars   

• Leave the crowds behind to colour in beautiful patterns and make your 3D shapes from 2D pieces of card with our tessellation experts and a former student behind Curvahedra

• Dip a skewer into our luscious chocolate fountain and learn all about the equations that explain those delicious gooey waterfalls with our resident expert

• Hear how statistical mathematics is revealing the way HIV infection spreads in communities in South Africa and Botswana. Talks will start in the College Café at: 6:30pm, 7:00pm and 7:30pm

• Try your hand (and voice!) at breaking up liquid jets, marvel at the beauty of falling drops of water, and create splashing artwork with applied mathematicians modelling drop impact

• Challenge your preconceptions about Mathematicians; Our academics and students will talk openly about (18:30) the realities of a day in their lives, (19:15) why they love doing what they do, and (20:00) how the reality of their job compares to their experience at school

• Vote for what makes a Christmas present special and learn how data combined with artificial intelligence could help in the future with students from the EPSRC Centre for Mathematics of Precision Healthcare

• Test your ear for music with an audio challenge to pick out improvised performances developed by mathematicians mapping our brain’s responses to these ‘off the cuff’ tunes

• Create your own gravitational waves and explore the geometry of curved space and the nature of black holes

• Make and decorate your own Festive Platonic truffles with our specially 3D-printed moulds. Workshops will begin at 18:20, 19:00, 19:40 and 20:20.

• Make beautifully shaped Christmas decorations with our Geometry team and explore the interplay between with physics theories predicting hidden dimensions in the Universe

• Step onto our balance board and lean why the patterns of sudden collapse and “points of no return” are found everywhere in nature, and even in our economy

• From crowds of people, to schools of fish and travelling sperm, see how the movements of individuals in groups are connected and predictable

• Refuel with tidings of joy including mince pies and mulled wine at our Imperial Lates bar

• Choose the Choones – DJ Digits will be on the desks throughout the night providing a festive, and occasionally maths themed musical compliment to the night’s festivities. You can send us your own requests by filling in this form

About Imperial Lates

Imperial Lates celebrate the latest in science and engineering at Imperial College London – bringing the public together with world leading minds in their respective fields, who not only love what they do, but also love sharing their work with new audiences.

A perfect evening’s entertainment for adults of all ages and backgrounds. Anyone with a curious mind is welcome to get hands on with our research, brought to life through live demonstrations, creative workshops, interactive experiments and inspiring talks. Pick the brains of the people behind the ideas, innovations and breakthroughs to discover how their work could impact our society and change our futures.

Throw in a bar and some of the world’s most extraordinary and pioneering scientists and engineers and you have the recipe for a free, fun and engaging night out in the heart of London.

Sign up to explore the future though the science of today!!

Make sure you pre-register for your chosen event to receive a preview of the full programme of live demonstrations, workshops and talks, and help us track attendance numbers.

Please note that registration alone does not guarantee seats for our talks, tours or workshops. However thosewho have pre-registered will be given the first opportunity to book places on anything with limited spaces.