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.
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.
The movement of crowds Aoife Hunt, Movement Strategies
How many people can you fit into a football stadium or a music festival? How quickly are they all going to be able to get out? These are important questions for event organisers, and mathematicians can help to answer them. Aoife shows how consultants use maths to understand the movement of crowds – whether at Wembley Stadium, Glastonbury or Heathrow Airport.
About Aoife Hunt
Aoife job is to analyse the movements of people. At work, she uses maths and statistics to figure out the patterns of large crowds at venues including Wembley Stadium.
Practical session Alex Bellos, Author and broadcaster
Alex Bellos returns with a new session jam-packed with puzzles, demonstrations and mathematical conundrums. You will need a pen and paper for Alex’s presentation.
About Alex Bellos
Alex writes the infamous Monday maths puzzle for The Guardian. He is also the author of the popular maths bestsellers Alex’s Adventures in Numberland and Alex Through the Looking-Glass.
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.