Remembrance Day – The Mathematics of War

11 November 1918 – armistice of WWI. Mathematics of war: logistics (optimisation), casualty statistics (probability, Poisson distribution), and cryptography (enigma). Lanchester’s equations (1916) model combat: dR/dt = –βB, dB/dt = –αR, where R and B are red and blue forces. The square law says that the advantage of superior numbers is squared. Lanchester’s model is used in military planning. Mathematics cannot prevent war, but it can help understand its cost and maybe, one day, deter it.