Mathematics

A docent will point out night sky highlights and upcoming astronomical events. This is followed by a fulldome video presentation.

Dr. Raf Vandebril will be giving a colloquium on October 15, 2026 starting at 4:20pm in CUE 318 with refreshments and discussions in Neill Hall 216 starting at 3:15pm. In this talk we will transform the abstract theory of eigenvalues and eigenvectors to a real life device! The toy is simple, inexpensive, easy-to-build, easy-to-operate, and consists of a few balls and rope. The motion of these swinging balls will be used to demonstrate the physical reality of eigenvectors. We will demonstrate the device, link it to its mechanics, and analyze the mathematics to analyze the system. Furthermore, we will show some extra illustrations on a Practicum executed in Leuven, where a model of a shear building is excited.