PUBLIC LECTURE
The Other Golden Ratio
Professor Burkhard Polster, Monash University
| Date | Wednesday 4 February 2026 |
| Time | 6-7pm, Light refreshments from 5pm |
| Venue | Monash University, Clayton Campus |
| Cost | Free and open to the public (Registration required) |
| Virtual Attendance | Zoom link sent to registrants 24 hours prior to the lecture |
Spend an evening with Prof. Burkard Polster, a mathematician at Monash University, as he delivers his public lecture The Other Golden Ratio as part of the 2026 AMSI Summer School. This presentation is tailored for a general audience and suitable for individuals from Year 10 onward.
Whether you’re a teacher, researcher, student or simply curious about the allure of mathematics, this is an evening you won’t want to miss.
ABSTRACT
The golden ratio and the Fibonacci numbers, everyone’s favourite mathematical duo, appear in countless beautiful and unexpected places across mathematics and nature. In this presentation, I’ll introduce you to another, much less well-known but equally remarkable pair that shows up just as often in the same places, but with surprising twists.
Prof. Burkard Polster,
Monash University
Burkard Polster is a mathematician at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is widely known as the creator and presenter of the popular YouTube channel Mathologer, which explores deep mathematical ideas in an accessible and engaging way. He earned his PhD from the University of Erlangen–Nürnberg in Germany in 1993 and held academic positions at institutions including the University of Kiel, the University of Canterbury, and the University of Adelaide before joining Monash in 2000.
Polster’s research spans geometry, recreational mathematics, and the mathematics of everyday life – from shoelace tying to stabilising wobbly tables. He is the author of several books, including The Mathematics of Juggling, Q.E.D.: Beauty in Mathematical Proof and The Geometrical Picture Book.