Monstrous Moonshine

In 1978 John McKay noticed that 196884=196883+1. The first number is the first interesting coefficient of the j-function,the canonical generator of the modular functions. 196883 is the first interesting dimension of an irreducible representation of the Monster finite simple group. Monstrous moonshine is a collection of conjectures created to try to understand and generalise McKay's fact. The main conjecture was finally proved by Borcherds, and was one of the reasons for him being awarded a Fields Medal in August. This talk -- an introduction to Monstrous Moonshine -- is intended for a general mathematical audience.

Refreshments will be served in Math Annex Room 1115, 3:15 p.m.