Keith Martin Ball
A mathematician who makes high-dimensional geometry feel intuitive, using elegant proofs to solve problems that once seemed locked away.
Born 1960 (age 66)·British mathematician·Birthday: December 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Keith Ball operates in the rarefied air of pure mathematics, but his work has a way of clarifying the seemingly opaque. A professor at the University of Warwick, he has built a career on finding beautiful, often surprisingly simple arguments for deep problems in functional analysis, convex geometry, and information theory. He is perhaps best known for his resolution of the so-called 'maximal slice problem' for cubes, a question about how to cut through a high-dimensional shape to get the largest possible cross-section. Ball possesses a rare talent for exposition, serving as the scientific director of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences and authoring a popular book, 'Strange Curves, Counting Rabbits', that reveals the playful heart of serious math. His career is a testament to the power of clear thinking to illuminate complex spaces.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Keith was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Keith Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Keith's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Solved the maximal slice problem for the cube, a long-standing question in convex geometry.
- Authored the widely praised popular mathematics book 'Strange Curves, Counting Rabbits, and Other Mathematical Explorations'.
- Served as the Scientific Director of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) from 2010 to 2014.
- Awarded the Whitehead Prize by the London Mathematical Society in 1992 for his early contributions.
Did You Know?
He is a former president of the London Mathematical Society.
His research has found applications in computer science, particularly in the theory of algorithms.
He delivered the prestigious Royal Institution Christmas Lectures in 2006.
“A good proof should feel like turning on a light.”
