The Oxford University Invariant Society, or 'The Invariants', is a university society open to members of Oxford University, dedicated to promotion of interest in Mathematics. The society regularly hosts talks from prominent British mathematicians such as G. H. Hardy

G. H. Hardy

Godfrey Harold “G. H.” Hardy FRS was a prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis....

 on wide ranging topics from the mathematics of juggling

Juggling

Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...

 to the history of mathematics. Many prominent British mathematicians were members of the society during their time at the University of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

.

History

The Society was founded in 1936 by J. H. C. Whitehead

J. H. C. Whitehead

John Henry Constantine Whitehead FRS , known as Henry, was a British mathematician and was one of the founders of homotopy theory. He was born in Chennai , in India, and died in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1960....

, Graham Higman

Graham Higman

Graham Higman FRS was a leading British mathematician. He is known for his contributions to group theory....

 and Jack de Wet . The name of the society was chosen at random by Higman from the titles of the books; in this case, Oswald Veblen

Oswald Veblen

Oswald Veblen was an American mathematician, geometer and topologist, whose work found application in atomic physics and the theory of relativity. He proved the Jordan curve theorem in 1905.-Life:...

’s Invariants of Quadratic Differential Forms. The opening lecture was G. H. Hardy

G. H. Hardy

Godfrey Harold “G. H.” Hardy FRS was a prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis....

 on Round Numbers.

Though many members joined the forces during the war, meetings continued, including lectures by Douglas Hartree

Douglas Hartree

Douglas Rayner Hartree PhD, FRS was an English mathematician and physicist most famous for the development of numerical analysis and its application to the Hartree-Fock equations of atomic physics and the construction of the meccano differential analyser.-Early life:Douglas Hartree was born in...

 and H. A. Newman, as well as debates - 'Is Mathematics an end in itself?' - and mathematical films.

Past speakers

The society has hosted hundreds of prominent mathematicians, with recent lectures by David Acheson

David Acheson

David Campion Acheson is an American lawyer and the son of former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson.David Acheson was born in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Yale University, where he was President of the Yale Political Union and a member of Skull and Bones, with a B.A. in 1942. After serving...

, , Brian Stewart,, Sir Roger Penrose, and Simon Singh

Simon Singh

Simon Lehna Singh, MBE is a British author who has specialised in writing about mathematical and scientific topics in an accessible manner....

, amongst others.

Recent presidents

Term	Name	College
2011 - 2012	Catrin Campbell-Moore	Worcester Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
2010 - 2011	Rosanna Creteny	Queens
2009 - 2010	Henry Bradford	St John's St John's College, Oxford __FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
2008 - 2009	Sean Ledger	St John's St John's College, Oxford __FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
2007 - 2008	Julia Steinberg	St. Hilda's
2006 - 2007	Tim Palmer	Keble Keble College, Oxford Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
2005 - 2006	Helene Neufeld	St Hilda's St Hilda's College, Oxford St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....
2004 - 2005	Owen Cotton-Barratt	Balliol Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....