About this day
For A-level, IB, BTEC Level 3 and T Level maths students
Join us this autumn for an exciting day at Maths in Action, featuring informative discussions, interactive sessions, and inspiring stories. Our line-up of experienced speakers—including industry leaders, academics and communicators —will offer expert insights and share their real-world experiences, covering topics across pure and applied mathematics.
The day will also include a special session on examination success designed to provide students with the tools that they need to excel. With polls and quizzes throughout the day and plenty of opportunities to ask the speakers questions, this is an unmissable day, and we look forward to welcoming you and your students. Book now for Maths in Action!
Host: Matt Pritchard (Communicator and Magician) Exam session: Abigail Bown (Advanced Mathematics Support Programme)
“A great day! Kept the students attention, without trivialising the content!”
– Tiffin School –
Programme & speakers
Nim, Officers, and Other Games Colin Wright, Mathematician and Juggler
People are familiar with all sorts of games, but as we start to look at them with an analytical eye we sometimes find connections and similarities. In this workshop we play a few games, look for connections, and finish with a result that’s genuinely almost too good to be true.
About Dr Colin Wright
Colin received his maths doctorate in 1990 from Cambridge University. While at Cambridge he also learned how to fire-breathe, unicycle, juggle and ballroom dance.
From Symphony to the Sea Kat Phillips, Innovation Research Associate and Maths Communicator, University of Warwick
Embark on a mathematical journey unraveling the rhythmic harmonies of sound waves, the fluid dynamics of water waves, and their unity through the wave equation. We’ll explore the mathematics governing these rich and complex behaviours through a hands on approach!
About Dr Kat Phillips
Kat is a mathematician at University of Warwick working with the Centre for Applications of Mathematics & Computer Science. When she’s not doing research, you can find her promoting maths on twitch, and having conversations about STEM in everyday life.
Risk and Reward Alison Kiddle, Maths Communicator
When we make decisions, we weigh up risks against potential rewards, but humans are notoriously bad at estimating how likely events are. Find out how probability and statistics let us find certainty in an unpredictable world, and discover whether mathematics helped Alison find fame and fortune when they appeared on the TV quiz show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire last year!
About Alison Kiddle
Alison is a mathematician and educator from the East of England. As well as travelling round the UK and abroad to talk about maths, Alison designs puzzles, writes about maths, and creates mathematical art and craft.
Networks and Knots Matt Pritchard, Scientist and Magician
An interactive talk where the solutions to real world network problems are unraveled. What is the quickest route for a postman to take? How do you draw and colour a map efficiently? How connected are two random people? What limits the speed of internet connections? How can maths enhance a magic trick?
About Dr Matt Pritchard
Dr Matt Pritchard is a magician and a member of the Magic Circle. He is a lapsed atomic physicist with a love of recreational maths. He is also a member of the Science of Magic Association, which aims to foster research collaborations between magicians and psychologists. (Photo credit: Twist Museum)
The Mathematics of Paper Katie Steckles, Mathematician and Communicator
The humble sheet of paper has almost infinite mathematical potential. Join mathematician Katie Steckles as she demonstrates some of her favourite mathematical concepts and shares some puzzles using both real and imaginary pieces of paper. Materials will be provided to join in from your seat, as Katie reveals the mathematical secrets hiding in household stationery.
About Dr Katie Steckles
Katie is a mathematician based in Manchester, who talks about mathematics at universities, schools events, festivals, on BBC radio and TV, in books and on the internet.