What maths is involved in stirring a cup of tea?
A man who has thought a lot about the maths behind stirring cups of tea has won one of the world’s most lucrative academic prizes.
Professor Sir Martin Hairer from Imperial College in London won the 2021 Breakthrough Prize for Mathematics by applying complex maths to simple situations – like stirring a cup of tea.
He says he plans to spend his £2.3m winnings on a house and hopes the prize will inspire others to develop a passion for maths too.