Calling all maths students from GCSE to A Level to university. Welcome to the King's Factor Lecture, our annual mathematics outreach event, highlighting the exciting work done by STEM researchers at King's! Delivering the 2026 lecture is Dr Jean Lagacé, Lecturer in Analysis in the Department of Mathematics.

Talk title

Vibrating plates and salt patterns.

Talk description

Ernst Chladni was travelling throughout Europe in the early 19th century, showing off his discovery: salt spilled on a plate would form into pretty patterns if the plate was made to vibrate. This phenomenon, already known to violin-makers, fascinated many people: Napoleon even offered a reward of 3000 Francs to whoever could explain why this happened.

Unbeknownst to Chladni (or anyone really) at the time, the description of these phenomena plays a major role in our current understanding of quantum mechanics, and it is through mathematical language that we can manage to link the two. In this lecture, we will recreate Chladni's experiment and see for ourselves why it happens.

About the speaker

Dr Jean Lagacé has been lecturing at King's since 2022, after completing his PhD at Université de Montréal (Canada) and holding research positions at UCL and Bristol. His research is in Spectral Geometry, a branch of mathematics specialised in the study of vibrations and their relations to shapes.

 

Schedule

You are welcome to arrive anytime before the theatre talks start at 16:30.

15:15 - Event opens; registration, refreshments and engineering activities

16:15 - Theatre doors open

16:30-16:40 - Theatre event starts; welcome and housekeeping

16:40-17:00 - Research talk from King's PhD student Nada Baessa

17:00-18:00 - Dr Jean Lagacé talk and Q&A

18:00 - Event finishes

 

Important information

Attendance
This event is aimed at those aged 16+. Younger attendees are welcome, but please note that attendees under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. For school groups, tickets are limited to 20 students per booking, to ensure a larger number of schools can attend. If you are aged 14–18 and booking for yourself, please check with a parent or guardian before booking your place.

Registration for this event will take place in reception in the main Strand Building entrance. This is on the Strand, the opposite side of St Mary Le Strand Church from Bush House. Refreshments and activities are in the Engineering Quad Labs and the Lecture will take place in the Edmond J. Safra Lecture Theatre.

This event is organised by the Department of Mathematics at King’s College London, together with the Faculty Outreach Team. If you have any questions or would like any further details, please email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk.

For in-person events we operate a policy of overbooking, to help manage on the day drop-out rates. Please ensure you arrive in good time to avoid disappointment on the day.

Accessibility
This talk will take place in the Edmond J Safra Lecture Theatre, on the ground floor of the King's Building. The theatre is fully wheelchair accessible, with designated spaces for wheelchair users. There are accessible bathrooms on this floor. The refreshments and activities will take place on classrooms opposite the theatre, also on the ground floor. 

The nearest step-free underground station is Blackfriars, but a number of bus routes stop a short distance from the Strand Campus.

Photography and privacy notice
The event you will be attending will have photography and/or videography. If you do not wish to appear in any recordings or photographs, please approach our registration team on the day of the event or email nmes-outreach@kcl.ac.uk beforehand. Photographs and recordings taken may feature in our publications or on the King’s website and social media channels. All personal data will be processed in accordance with King’s privacy policy available here.

We collect and process your personal information to help us manage and run the event. In accordance with the King’s College London Data Retention Schedule, we will keep your information until the completion of the event. To find out more about how the university deals with your personal information, including your rights, please see the university’s core privacy notice. Your personal information will be transferred to the United States via Eventbrite. Please read this article where you can find out more on how Eventbrite protects your data.