Adam Townsend
@pecnut.bsky.social
Mathematician by day, generally asleep by night. Chocolate fountains, sperm cells and bridge signs. @VisualPDE.com and @chalkdustmag.bsky.social. Probably listening to Radio 2.
Reposted by Adam Townsend
🦂🚨🦂 New Chalkdust alert! 🦂🚨🦂
DNA origami, tracks and an interview with El Nombre feature in our AW25 issue! Plus all your favourite puzzles & columns.
Read the entire new issue now at
chalkdustmagazine.com
DNA origami, tracks and an interview with El Nombre feature in our AW25 issue! Plus all your favourite puzzles & columns.
Read the entire new issue now at
chalkdustmagazine.com
Chalkdust: Read Issue 22 now
A magazine for the mathematically curious. Issue 22 now available: DNA origami, tracks and an interview with El Nombre feature in our AW25 issue! Plus all your favourite puzzles & columns.
chalkdustmagazine.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:24 AM
🦂🚨🦂 New Chalkdust alert! 🦂🚨🦂
DNA origami, tracks and an interview with El Nombre feature in our AW25 issue! Plus all your favourite puzzles & columns.
Read the entire new issue now at
chalkdustmagazine.com
DNA origami, tracks and an interview with El Nombre feature in our AW25 issue! Plus all your favourite puzzles & columns.
Read the entire new issue now at
chalkdustmagazine.com
Reposted by Adam Townsend
We're working on some exciting new features for VisualPDE, but we want to hear from you!
Whether you're a regular user or just tried it once, we'd love your feedback on how you use the tool. It’s a super short survey (promise)!
👇Fill it out here:
forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
Whether you're a regular user or just tried it once, we'd love your feedback on how you use the tool. It’s a super short survey (promise)!
👇Fill it out here:
forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
Microsoft Forms
forms.office.com
August 23, 2025 at 1:57 PM
We're working on some exciting new features for VisualPDE, but we want to hear from you!
Whether you're a regular user or just tried it once, we'd love your feedback on how you use the tool. It’s a super short survey (promise)!
👇Fill it out here:
forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
Whether you're a regular user or just tried it once, we'd love your feedback on how you use the tool. It’s a super short survey (promise)!
👇Fill it out here:
forms.office.com/Pages/Respon...
Reposted by Adam Townsend
FYI: I'm part of the Finite Group, a friendly bunch of mathematicians with a free Discord community and monthly livestreams about cool bits of maths. Our next is 23rd May, when I'll be chatting with @Ayliean.bsky.social about maths & Rubik's cubes! Find out more and join at finitegroup.co.uk
May 7, 2025 at 11:02 AM
FYI: I'm part of the Finite Group, a friendly bunch of mathematicians with a free Discord community and monthly livestreams about cool bits of maths. Our next is 23rd May, when I'll be chatting with @Ayliean.bsky.social about maths & Rubik's cubes! Find out more and join at finitegroup.co.uk
Came to Bedford. Was not disappointed. #heighthunt
April 21, 2025 at 10:28 AM
Came to Bedford. Was not disappointed. #heighthunt
Reposted by Adam Townsend
🚨 New Chalkdust alert 🚨
You can read about sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets right now in issue 21!
chalkdustmagazine.co...
You can read about sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets right now in issue 21!
chalkdustmagazine.co...
Read Issue 21 now! - Chalkdust
Sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets finally revealed in our spring 2025 issue. Plus all your favourite columns!
chalkdustmagazine.com
March 17, 2025 at 8:56 AM
🚨 New Chalkdust alert 🚨
You can read about sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets right now in issue 21!
chalkdustmagazine.co...
You can read about sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets right now in issue 21!
chalkdustmagazine.co...
Reposted by Adam Townsend
I think Issue 21 is up there with the best issues of Chalkdust (and that's not just because I wrote an article for it)
🚨 New Chalkdust alert 🚨
You can read about sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets right now in issue 21!
chalkdustmagazine.co...
You can read about sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets right now in issue 21!
chalkdustmagazine.co...
Read Issue 21 now! - Chalkdust
Sudoku, potatoes and crossnumber's biggest secrets finally revealed in our spring 2025 issue. Plus all your favourite columns!
chalkdustmagazine.com
March 17, 2025 at 8:59 AM
I think Issue 21 is up there with the best issues of Chalkdust (and that's not just because I wrote an article for it)
Reposted by Adam Townsend
Want to put more of *you* into your mathematical modelling? Soon you'll be able to do this through your webcam and VisualPDE!
More exciting things coming soon too! Let us know how we can support your science at [email protected].
More exciting things coming soon too! Let us know how we can support your science at [email protected].
March 13, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Want to put more of *you* into your mathematical modelling? Soon you'll be able to do this through your webcam and VisualPDE!
More exciting things coming soon too! Let us know how we can support your science at [email protected].
More exciting things coming soon too! Let us know how we can support your science at [email protected].
Reposted by Adam Townsend
Three excellent people and a great project. You will learn mathematical modelling and how to interact with our experimental colleagues, proper interdisciplinary science. Plus we do excellent cookies at lunch time meetings 😎
We're advertising a fully-funded PhD project at Durham in understanding microbial ecology from a theoretical and multidisciplinary perspective! More details below. Feel free to email me, Denis Patterson, or @thecopperdoctor.bsky.social. March 31st deadline.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Metals, Microbes, and Mathematics: Understanding Coexistence with Toxic Nutrients at Durham University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Metals, Microbes, and Mathematics: Understanding Coexistence with Toxic Nutrients at Durham University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
February 27, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Three excellent people and a great project. You will learn mathematical modelling and how to interact with our experimental colleagues, proper interdisciplinary science. Plus we do excellent cookies at lunch time meetings 😎
Reposted by Adam Townsend
The shortlist for the Chalkdust Book of the Year 2024 is out now. View the list and vote for your favourite book at chalkdustmagazine.co....
We'll be publishing short reviews over the next couple of weeks, including notes relating to our four judging criteria: style, control, damage and agression.
We'll be publishing short reviews over the next couple of weeks, including notes relating to our four judging criteria: style, control, damage and agression.
Chalkdust Book of the Year 2024 - Chalkdust
We announce the shortlist of our favourite maths-themed books of last year
chalkdustmagazine.com
February 13, 2025 at 10:22 AM
The shortlist for the Chalkdust Book of the Year 2024 is out now. View the list and vote for your favourite book at chalkdustmagazine.co....
We'll be publishing short reviews over the next couple of weeks, including notes relating to our four judging criteria: style, control, damage and agression.
We'll be publishing short reviews over the next couple of weeks, including notes relating to our four judging criteria: style, control, damage and agression.
What a great calendar!
HOW IS HE DOING THIS?!
The creativity people bring to Say The Prime! 🙌
It brings a smile to my face almost daily and fills me with joy to see people getting involved 💗
youtu.be/SbpoQ19PeuY?...
The creativity people bring to Say The Prime! 🙌
It brings a smile to my face almost daily and fills me with joy to see people getting involved 💗
youtu.be/SbpoQ19PeuY?...
Say The Prime, chunk 216: digits 90086 to 90504 of Mersenne Prime M136279841
YouTube video by Woolly Benguin
youtu.be
February 5, 2025 at 11:26 PM
What a great calendar!
All these people going around living their lives writing \frac{\partial y}{\partial x} all the time
January 13, 2025 at 7:12 PM
All these people going around living their lives writing \frac{\partial y}{\partial x} all the time
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #13: Our Little Secret.
A disappointing end to #NetflixChristmas season. Lindsay Lohan’s bf’s sister’s bf is her ex-bf. They hide this to impress Kristin Chenoweth (wasted). LL gets stoned; everyone swaps partners. 🤷🏻♀️ Not silly enough. #BringBackHudgens2025.
🤫💍🤫🍬🍪/5
A disappointing end to #NetflixChristmas season. Lindsay Lohan’s bf’s sister’s bf is her ex-bf. They hide this to impress Kristin Chenoweth (wasted). LL gets stoned; everyone swaps partners. 🤷🏻♀️ Not silly enough. #BringBackHudgens2025.
🤫💍🤫🍬🍪/5
December 25, 2024 at 5:58 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #13: Our Little Secret.
A disappointing end to #NetflixChristmas season. Lindsay Lohan’s bf’s sister’s bf is her ex-bf. They hide this to impress Kristin Chenoweth (wasted). LL gets stoned; everyone swaps partners. 🤷🏻♀️ Not silly enough. #BringBackHudgens2025.
🤫💍🤫🍬🍪/5
A disappointing end to #NetflixChristmas season. Lindsay Lohan’s bf’s sister’s bf is her ex-bf. They hide this to impress Kristin Chenoweth (wasted). LL gets stoned; everyone swaps partners. 🤷🏻♀️ Not silly enough. #BringBackHudgens2025.
🤫💍🤫🍬🍪/5
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #12: A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter.
Sabrina sings some OK new Christmas songs and takes part in some OK sketches with guests. But it’s charming and she’s obviously a great singer, even if it made me feel very old.
🎶🎥🎄👩🏻🎤🪟/5
Sabrina sings some OK new Christmas songs and takes part in some OK sketches with guests. But it’s charming and she’s obviously a great singer, even if it made me feel very old.
🎶🎥🎄👩🏻🎤🪟/5
December 25, 2024 at 5:47 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #12: A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter.
Sabrina sings some OK new Christmas songs and takes part in some OK sketches with guests. But it’s charming and she’s obviously a great singer, even if it made me feel very old.
🎶🎥🎄👩🏻🎤🪟/5
Sabrina sings some OK new Christmas songs and takes part in some OK sketches with guests. But it’s charming and she’s obviously a great singer, even if it made me feel very old.
🎶🎥🎄👩🏻🎤🪟/5
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #11: Carry-On.
A cross between Die Hards 2 and 3. A TSA agent resembling Terminator 2 is blackmailed into getting a case on a plane. Starts well, but plot gets silly quickly. Worst is the belief you could have a car chase round LAX 😂. Watch Die Hard instead.
🇺🇸✈️🚨🎒🦠/5
A cross between Die Hards 2 and 3. A TSA agent resembling Terminator 2 is blackmailed into getting a case on a plane. Starts well, but plot gets silly quickly. Worst is the belief you could have a car chase round LAX 😂. Watch Die Hard instead.
🇺🇸✈️🚨🎒🦠/5
December 25, 2024 at 5:25 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #11: Carry-On.
A cross between Die Hards 2 and 3. A TSA agent resembling Terminator 2 is blackmailed into getting a case on a plane. Starts well, but plot gets silly quickly. Worst is the belief you could have a car chase round LAX 😂. Watch Die Hard instead.
🇺🇸✈️🚨🎒🦠/5
A cross between Die Hards 2 and 3. A TSA agent resembling Terminator 2 is blackmailed into getting a case on a plane. Starts well, but plot gets silly quickly. Worst is the belief you could have a car chase round LAX 😂. Watch Die Hard instead.
🇺🇸✈️🚨🎒🦠/5
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #10: Christmas as Usual.
Uncomfortable: a Norwegian woman brings her fiancé home for Christmas but somehow her family don’t know he’s Indian and they are really weird about it. Supposedly a real story, but if I were the real woman’s family, I’d be mortified.
🇳🇴🌶️🕳️⛪️🥛/5
Uncomfortable: a Norwegian woman brings her fiancé home for Christmas but somehow her family don’t know he’s Indian and they are really weird about it. Supposedly a real story, but if I were the real woman’s family, I’d be mortified.
🇳🇴🌶️🕳️⛪️🥛/5
December 25, 2024 at 5:18 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #10: Christmas as Usual.
Uncomfortable: a Norwegian woman brings her fiancé home for Christmas but somehow her family don’t know he’s Indian and they are really weird about it. Supposedly a real story, but if I were the real woman’s family, I’d be mortified.
🇳🇴🌶️🕳️⛪️🥛/5
Uncomfortable: a Norwegian woman brings her fiancé home for Christmas but somehow her family don’t know he’s Indian and they are really weird about it. Supposedly a real story, but if I were the real woman’s family, I’d be mortified.
🇳🇴🌶️🕳️⛪️🥛/5
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #9: That Christmas.
An animated adventure with a stellar cast that is less than the sum of its parts. Tired jokes. Strangely features lots of current Xmas songs. But agreed that Santa’s a Scotsman. Bill Nighy wears Reddit’s favourite watch.
🎅🏼🚌⛸️🔎🦃/5
An animated adventure with a stellar cast that is less than the sum of its parts. Tired jokes. Strangely features lots of current Xmas songs. But agreed that Santa’s a Scotsman. Bill Nighy wears Reddit’s favourite watch.
🎅🏼🚌⛸️🔎🦃/5
December 25, 2024 at 5:07 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #9: That Christmas.
An animated adventure with a stellar cast that is less than the sum of its parts. Tired jokes. Strangely features lots of current Xmas songs. But agreed that Santa’s a Scotsman. Bill Nighy wears Reddit’s favourite watch.
🎅🏼🚌⛸️🔎🦃/5
An animated adventure with a stellar cast that is less than the sum of its parts. Tired jokes. Strangely features lots of current Xmas songs. But agreed that Santa’s a Scotsman. Bill Nighy wears Reddit’s favourite watch.
🎅🏼🚌⛸️🔎🦃/5
Reposted by Adam Townsend
Coming soon: a modern take on an old paper by William Newman and Carl Sagan postulating a simple wave-like model of interstellar travel and colonization (link below). Now with inter-galactic heterogeneity, stochasticity, and more!
ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citation...
ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citation...
December 24, 2024 at 1:19 PM
Coming soon: a modern take on an old paper by William Newman and Carl Sagan postulating a simple wave-like model of interstellar travel and colonization (link below). Now with inter-galactic heterogeneity, stochasticity, and more!
ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citation...
ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citation...
Reposted by Adam Townsend
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #999: Merry Christmas (Hindi)
Starts almost as a romance (woman meets man, takes him back to her place), turns into Hitchcockian thriller when she finds her husband's dead body... then it disappears, then reappears again?? Great film, will leave you guessing. 😵😵😵😵😵/5
Starts almost as a romance (woman meets man, takes him back to her place), turns into Hitchcockian thriller when she finds her husband's dead body... then it disappears, then reappears again?? Great film, will leave you guessing. 😵😵😵😵😵/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:56 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #999: Merry Christmas (Hindi)
Starts almost as a romance (woman meets man, takes him back to her place), turns into Hitchcockian thriller when she finds her husband's dead body... then it disappears, then reappears again?? Great film, will leave you guessing. 😵😵😵😵😵/5
Starts almost as a romance (woman meets man, takes him back to her place), turns into Hitchcockian thriller when she finds her husband's dead body... then it disappears, then reappears again?? Great film, will leave you guessing. 😵😵😵😵😵/5
Reposted by Adam Townsend
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #8: Merry Christmas.
Occasionally we stumble across a really good film while doing this: this is one of those. As usual, it starts meet cute but quickly turns into a Hitchcock-like thriller.
🎄🧸💃🔫🎅/5
Occasionally we stumble across a really good film while doing this: this is one of those. As usual, it starts meet cute but quickly turns into a Hitchcock-like thriller.
🎄🧸💃🔫🎅/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:56 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #8: Merry Christmas.
Occasionally we stumble across a really good film while doing this: this is one of those. As usual, it starts meet cute but quickly turns into a Hitchcock-like thriller.
🎄🧸💃🔫🎅/5
Occasionally we stumble across a really good film while doing this: this is one of those. As usual, it starts meet cute but quickly turns into a Hitchcock-like thriller.
🎄🧸💃🔫🎅/5
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #8: Merry Christmas (Hindi/Tamil).
An unexpected gem. Set in Bombay, a man back in town meets a woman at a restaurant and they hit it off. Then it turns into a completely different mystery movie. Great fun, if a little long (mostly the intro credits).
🍿👩🏽🍳🪑🦜💍/5
An unexpected gem. Set in Bombay, a man back in town meets a woman at a restaurant and they hit it off. Then it turns into a completely different mystery movie. Great fun, if a little long (mostly the intro credits).
🍿👩🏽🍳🪑🦜💍/5
December 21, 2024 at 9:31 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #8: Merry Christmas (Hindi/Tamil).
An unexpected gem. Set in Bombay, a man back in town meets a woman at a restaurant and they hit it off. Then it turns into a completely different mystery movie. Great fun, if a little long (mostly the intro credits).
🍿👩🏽🍳🪑🦜💍/5
An unexpected gem. Set in Bombay, a man back in town meets a woman at a restaurant and they hit it off. Then it turns into a completely different mystery movie. Great fun, if a little long (mostly the intro credits).
🍿👩🏽🍳🪑🦜💍/5
Reposted by Adam Townsend
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #49: Hot Frosty.
Romance didn't work for me, FMC was too maternal towards her supposed love interest, snowman was funny but too stupid to be a plausible. Best bit wwas Doug Judy and Boyle from Brooklyn 99, whole thing should have just been them. ☃️☃️☃️☃️💧/5
Romance didn't work for me, FMC was too maternal towards her supposed love interest, snowman was funny but too stupid to be a plausible. Best bit wwas Doug Judy and Boyle from Brooklyn 99, whole thing should have just been them. ☃️☃️☃️☃️💧/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:48 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #49: Hot Frosty.
Romance didn't work for me, FMC was too maternal towards her supposed love interest, snowman was funny but too stupid to be a plausible. Best bit wwas Doug Judy and Boyle from Brooklyn 99, whole thing should have just been them. ☃️☃️☃️☃️💧/5
Romance didn't work for me, FMC was too maternal towards her supposed love interest, snowman was funny but too stupid to be a plausible. Best bit wwas Doug Judy and Boyle from Brooklyn 99, whole thing should have just been them. ☃️☃️☃️☃️💧/5
Reposted by Adam Townsend
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #7: Hot Frosty.
Snowman comes to life, doesn't walk in the air, breaks a window. The Pontiac Bandit and Boyle try to track down the window breaker. Snowman and the other one from Mean Girls fall in love, while the town falls in love with Snowman.
⛄💫🧍♂️🪟👮/5
Snowman comes to life, doesn't walk in the air, breaks a window. The Pontiac Bandit and Boyle try to track down the window breaker. Snowman and the other one from Mean Girls fall in love, while the town falls in love with Snowman.
⛄💫🧍♂️🪟👮/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:48 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #7: Hot Frosty.
Snowman comes to life, doesn't walk in the air, breaks a window. The Pontiac Bandit and Boyle try to track down the window breaker. Snowman and the other one from Mean Girls fall in love, while the town falls in love with Snowman.
⛄💫🧍♂️🪟👮/5
Snowman comes to life, doesn't walk in the air, breaks a window. The Pontiac Bandit and Boyle try to track down the window breaker. Snowman and the other one from Mean Girls fall in love, while the town falls in love with Snowman.
⛄💫🧍♂️🪟👮/5
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #7: Hot Frosty.
OK this one is genuinely good. You know the plot: woman falls for a snowman come to life. He fixes everything. Played for laughs by a great cast. One to watch.
⛄️🧣🪚🧊👮🏾♂️/5
OK this one is genuinely good. You know the plot: woman falls for a snowman come to life. He fixes everything. Played for laughs by a great cast. One to watch.
⛄️🧣🪚🧊👮🏾♂️/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:59 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #7: Hot Frosty.
OK this one is genuinely good. You know the plot: woman falls for a snowman come to life. He fixes everything. Played for laughs by a great cast. One to watch.
⛄️🧣🪚🧊👮🏾♂️/5
OK this one is genuinely good. You know the plot: woman falls for a snowman come to life. He fixes everything. Played for laughs by a great cast. One to watch.
⛄️🧣🪚🧊👮🏾♂️/5
Reposted by Adam Townsend
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #6: Twas the Text Before Christmas.
Nana tries to text her granddaughter about Christmas, texts the wrong number, invites main character to Christmas anyway. Main character starts visiting them for every Christmas dinner, with a side order of rom com.
📱📲❄️🇯🇲💌/5
Nana tries to text her granddaughter about Christmas, texts the wrong number, invites main character to Christmas anyway. Main character starts visiting them for every Christmas dinner, with a side order of rom com.
📱📲❄️🇯🇲💌/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:37 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #6: Twas the Text Before Christmas.
Nana tries to text her granddaughter about Christmas, texts the wrong number, invites main character to Christmas anyway. Main character starts visiting them for every Christmas dinner, with a side order of rom com.
📱📲❄️🇯🇲💌/5
Nana tries to text her granddaughter about Christmas, texts the wrong number, invites main character to Christmas anyway. Main character starts visiting them for every Christmas dinner, with a side order of rom com.
📱📲❄️🇯🇲💌/5
Reposted by Adam Townsend
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #6: Twas the Text Before Christmas. Inspired by that Thanksgiving story, a wrong number text leads to a lonely woman spending Christmas with a strange family. This is a genuinely lovely film, the wholesome family dynamics work, the love story is well earned. 🌲🍷❄️☃️🥧/5
December 21, 2024 at 8:35 PM
#NetflixChristmas Reviews 2024 #6: Twas the Text Before Christmas. Inspired by that Thanksgiving story, a wrong number text leads to a lonely woman spending Christmas with a strange family. This is a genuinely lovely film, the wholesome family dynamics work, the love story is well earned. 🌲🍷❄️☃️🥧/5