About this day
Our exceptional days of GCSE Maths in Action feature five interactive and informative sessions that will inspire KS4 students.
We will explore fascinating and occasionally unexpected applications which demonstrate that continuing to study maths is important. Each day is supplemented by an examination session which includes hints and tips on how to improve your grades.
Programme & speakers
Bits and pieces: secrets of a digital world James Grime, Mathematician and communicator
See how messages and photos are transmitted on the internet, and the secret messages that tell a film studio when you are sharing movies illegally. Join James to discover the way messages are transmitted without mistakes, even from space!
About James Grime
Dr James Grime is a mathematician and public speaker. James runs The Enigma Project, travelling the world giving public talks on the history and mathematics of code breaking. He is also a presenter on the Numberphile YouTube channel.
Lies, damned lies, and newspapers Emily Grossman, Broadcaster
Can we believe everything we read in the papers? In this highly interactive and amusing talk, Dr Emily Grossman takes a light-hearted look at these issues, illustrated with examples from her own experience as a TV science broadcaster.
About Emily Grossman
Emily is a bestselling science author, internationally acclaimed public speaker and TV personality. She is best known for explaining science stuff on her fun YouTube videos and on TV shows such as Sky1’s Duck Quacks Don’t Echo (hosted by Lee Mack).
Engineering the future Aimi Elias, Software developer, Sky
About Aimi Elias
Aimi Elias is a software developer with a passion for science communication. She works on technology that makes online streaming possible all over the world at Sky. Before she discovered how much she loves to code, Aimi was a civil engineer working on underground tunnels for Crossrail.
Are we made of maths? Mark Lewney, Mathematician and physicist
Does maths really exist, or is it just something people do? Is the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in the natural sciences something bordering on the mysterious with no rational explanation?
About Mark Lewney
Dr Mark Lewney, the Rock Doctor, winner of the first ever FameLab competition and guitar physicist blows your ears with rock guitar and blows your mind with Superstring Theory.
Over-analysing video games Matthew Scroggs, University of Cambridge
Matt will apply some mathematical thinking to Pac-Man and other video games. We will work out the shortest possible route to complete a Pac-Man level, and discover the 2-, 3- and 4-dimensional shapes that video game characters live on.
About Matthew Scroggs
When not working Matthew writes puzzles and articles for Chalkdust Magazine, including the infamous crossnumber, and reads Martin Gardner books.