Mathematics: The link between maths and land mines may not be immediately apparent to most people.
Yesterday, however, a mathematician explained how complex calculations have been used to locate mines.
By inverting a formula more commonly used in medical scanning, experts have developed a technique to find the tripwires often used to trigger explosions, according to Prof Chris Budd from the University of Bath and president of the BA mathematical sciences section.
He said this technology had now been used successfully by a peacekeeping organisation overseas.
Prof Budd said that the technology could detect wires among dense vegetation such as in a jungle.
"People that put out the tripwires don't want them to be seen, so they use transparent fishing wire," said Prof Budd.
"If you look at them in visual light you won't spot them."
He said ultraviolet light could be used to spot fishing wire as it showed up opaque.
"Imagine a long pole and at the end of that you have an ultraviolet light and a camera. The image is then fed back down the pole to a computer."
A mathematical formula, known as the Radon formula, helps pick out the straight lines in the image to find the trip wires.
"Simulations in the laboratory show that it detects every tripwire going, but it also identifies a few branches."
Prof Budd said that identifying a few branches was a small price to pay when compared to all the problems caused when the tripwires were not detected.