Double Maths First Thing: Issue 5E

Double Maths First Thing is taking regular hydration breaks [Apologies. This did not post here at the scheduled time. Mistake on my part. Won’t happen again. At least not this week.] Hello! My name is Colin and I am a mathematician on a mission to spread the joy and delight in maths as something one does rather than (just) something one learns. My current excitement is that the legendary Hana Ayoob is designing some Marjorie Rice-inspired decals for my elegant-but-boring guitars. Hopefully they’ll be stuck on in time for the not-yet-announced Pseudorandom Ensemble show in London in September. (Did I say that out loud? Oopsie.) Links First, to North America, where FIFA’s boffins have fallen victim to one of the classic blunders: the most famous is “thinking Scotland have a chance.” But only less well-known is this: “never design a tournament without involving mathematicians.” Oliver has noticed an anomaly in Group D, where Paraguay could finish third and be eliminated – ahead of…