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Careers with maths
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From satellites to the London Olympics, all in one career

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Discover why the number 6174 is so mysterious.

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September 2008
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focal points

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Why do so many people say they hate mathematics, asks David Acheson? The truth, he says, is that most of them have never been anywhere near it, and that mathematicians could do more to change this perception - perhaps by emphasising the element of surprise that so often accompanies mathematics at its best.

Tags: proof : Fermat's Last Theorem : ellipse : geometry : Pi : pendulum : Kepler : mathematics and magic : Leibniz : focal points : linked pendulums