mathematics

Ionica Smeets

Ionica Smeets is a mathematics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ionica Smeets rather than just read about it. In short: Ionica Smeets (born 8 October 1979) is a Dutch mathematician, science journalist, columnist, television presenter and professor in science communication at Leiden University. Biography Ionica Smeets was born in Delft, where she completed her propedeuse in computer science at the Delft University of Technology.

Key takeaways

Ionica Smeets belongs to mathematics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ionica Smeets to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ionica Smeets from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ionica Smeets (born 8 October 1979) is a Dutch mathematician, science journalist, columnist, television presenter and professor in science communication at Leiden University.

Biography Ionica Smeets was born in Delft, where she completed her propedeuse in computer science at the Delft University of Technology. She switched studies and graduated in applied mathematics. Smeets was working on her thesis in mathematics, on a subject within number theory, at Leiden University when she started the blog Wiskundemeisjes ('Math girls'), on 14 March 2006, together with Jeanine Daems. The website has been awarded in 2007 with two Dutch Bloggies. Since 2010, the two 'math girls' ran a column in De Volkskrant for several years. Currently, Smeets writes a weekly piece titled "Ionica zag een getal" ("Ionica saw a number") in the periodical Sir Edmund (a magazine from De Volkskrant). She completed her PhD at Leiden in 2010; her dissertation, On Continued Fraction Algorithms, was supervised by Robert Tijdeman and Cornelis Kraaikamp. After this, Smeets became a science journalist. She performs research, together with Bas Haring, on successful methods to explain science to the general audience. In this function, she appeared on Dutch television, such as in De Wereld Draait Door. On 19 October 2011, the book Ik was altijd heel slecht in wiskunde (I have always been bad at mathematics) appeared, which she wrote together with Jeanine Daems. Begin 2012, Smeets co-presented eight editions of the KRO-program De Rekenkamer, replacing Sofie van den Enk. In 2013, Smeets presented the mathematics program Eureka, together with Van den Enk. On 17 August 2014 she was guest in the Dutch television program Zomergasten. Furthermore, she participated in the NCRV's television quiz De Slimste Mens in August 2014, almost reaching the final round. In July 2015, Smeets was appointed professor in Science Communication at the University of Leiden. In December 2015, she started presenting the VPRO television program de Nationale Wetenschapsquiz (the National Science Quiz), which she has presented together with Pieter Hulst up until now.

Selected publications

Ionica Smeets: Zoete kinderen eten geen suiker. Amsterdam, Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds, 2016. ISBN 978-90-5712-467-9 Ionica Smeets: Het exacte verhaal. Amsterdam, Nieuwezijds, 2014. ISBN 978-90-571-2393-1 Jeanine Daems & Ionica Smeets: Ik was altijd heel slecht in wiskunde. Reken maar op de wiskundemeisjes. Amsterdam, Nieuwezijds, 2011. ISBN 978-90-5712-336-8 Ionica Smeets & Bas Haring: Vallende kwartjes. Een slimme selectie van leesbare wetenschap. Amsterdam, Nijgh & Van Ditmar 2010. 5th print 2012: ISBN 978-90-388-9485-0 Ionica Smeets: On continued fraction algorithms. Enschede, Ipskamp Drukkers, 2010. (Proefschrift Universiteit Leiden) No ISBN. Digital version

References

External links

Personal website Wiskundemeisjes

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ionica Smeets

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ionica Smeets claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In mathematics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ionica Smeets before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ionica Smeets ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ionica Smeets

In research: Ionica Smeets appears in mathematics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ionica Smeets in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ionica Smeets is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1979 births, 21st-century Dutch mathematicians, 21st-century women mathematicians, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ionica Smeets outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Ionica Smeets in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ionica Smeets means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ionica Smeets out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ionica Smeets in simple terms?

Ionica Smeets (born 8 October 1979) is a Dutch mathematician, science journalist, columnist, television presenter and professor in science communication at Leiden University. Biography Ionica Smeets was born in Delft, where she completed her propedeuse in computer science at the Delft University of…

Why does Ionica Smeets matter?

Because it connects several mathematics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ionica Smeets?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ionica Smeets.