Des MacHale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Des MacHale
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Desmond MacHale
28 January 1946 Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland
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| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | University College Galway (BSc, MSc) University of Keele (PhD) |
| Occupation | Mathematician, author |
| Known for | Biography of George Boole |
| Children | Dominic MacHale |
Desmond MacHale, born on January 28, 1946, is an Irish mathematician. He used to be a professor of mathematics at University College Cork. He is also a writer and speaker. He writes about many topics, like the famous mathematician George Boole, tricky puzzles, and jokes.
He has written more than 80 books! Some of his books have been translated into many different languages. These include Danish, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish, German, Korean, and Japanese.
Contents
About Des MacHale
Des MacHale was born in Castlebar, a town in County Mayo, Ireland. He studied mathematical science at University College Galway. He earned his first degrees there in 1967 and 1968.
Later, he completed his PhD at the University of Keele in 1972. Since then, he has worked at University College Cork. His research there focused on areas of mathematics called group and ring theory. He was especially interested in Boolean rings.
Books About George Boole
In 1985, MacHale wrote an important book called George Boole: His Life and Work. This was the first full book about the life of George Boole. Boole was a very important mathematician.
In 2014, the book was updated and re-released. Its new title was The Life and Work of George Boole: A Prelude to the Digital Age. Many people see MacHale as the top expert on George Boole. In 2018, he wrote another book about Boole with Yvonne Cohen. It was called New Light on George Boole.
Other Books and Interests
MacHale has also written many other kinds of books. He has written books filled with brainteasers and puzzles. He has also written more than 30 books about jokes and what makes things funny.
One of his books, Comic Sections: The Book of Mathematical Jokes, Humour, Wit and Wisdom, combines his love for math and humour. He has also written many lateral thinking puzzles with author Paul Sloane. Many of these puzzles can be found on the Futility Closet website.
He has also written several books about the 1952 American film, The Quiet Man. MacHale has given talks at schools, on radio, and on television. He shares his knowledge about mathematics, humour, and puzzles.
Des MacHale also designed the logo for the Irish Mathematical Society. He has been a strong supporter of healthy living for a long time. He worked with the Irish Association of Non-Smokers. He even appeared on a TV show in the 1980s to teach people about the dangers of smoking.
His son is the actor Dominic MacHale. Dominic is known for his role in the film The Young Offenders.
The Superbrain Competition
From 1984 to 2007, Des MacHale organized the Superbrain Competition. This was held at University College Cork. He created the questions and graded the papers for this math contest.
The Superbrain Competition is an annual math exam. It is open to students studying at University College Cork. Students have three hours to answer 10 challenging math questions. A book of questions and solutions from the competition was published in 2011. It was called The First Twenty-Five Years of the Superbrain.
Selected Books by Des MacHale
Here are some of the books written by Des MacHale:
- 2023 Sip & Solve Two-Minute Brainteasers (with Paul Sloane), Puzzlewright, ISBN: 9781454947974
- 2022 Comic Sections Plus, Logic Press, ISBN: 9781471761478
- 2020 The Poetry of George Boole, Logic Press, ISBN: 9781716520273
- 2018 New Light on George Boole (with Yvonne Cohen), Cork University Press, ISBN: 9781782052906
- 2016 Lateral Thinking Puzzles in Mathematics, (with Paul Sloane), Puzzlewright, ISBN: 9781454911678
- 2014 The Life and Work of George Boole : a Prelude to the Digital Age, Cork University Press, ISBN: 1782050051
- 2006 Puzzleology: Tough Puzzles for Kids, Mercier Press, ISBN: 9781856355087
- 2002 Sit & Solve - Lateral Thinking Puzzles (with Paul Sloane), Puzzlewright, ISBN: 9780806957050
- 1993 Comic Sections: The Book of Mathematical Jokes, Humour, Wit and Wisdom, Boole Press, ISBN: 1-85748-006-6
- 1985 George Boole: His Life and Work, Boole Press, ISBN: 0-906783-14-3
Awards and Honours
On George Boole Day, November 2, 2015, University College Cork gave MacHale a special award. He received an honorary doctorate degree. This was to recognize his important work and studies on George Boole.
On October 15, 2016, Maths Week Ireland gave MacHale a new award. It was the first "Raising Public Awareness of Maths" award. This award recognized his efforts to make math interesting to everyone.
