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Ever Had the Feeling You Are Going Round in Circles
This article teaches you how to draw cardiods, limacons, nephroids and ellipses - a lot easier than they sound! All you need is a pair of compasses and a pencil.
Can You Find a Perfect Number?
Can you find any perfect numbers? Read this article to find out more...
The Secret World of Codes and Code Breaking
When you think of spies and secret agents, you probably wouldn’t think of mathematics. Some of the most famous code breakers in history have been mathematicians.
The New Millennium: When Did it Begin?
Not everybody agreed that the Third Millennium actually began on January 1st 2000. Find out why by reading this brief article.
History of Morse
This short article, gives an outline of the origins of Morse code and its inventor and how the frequency of letters is reflected in the code they were given.
Got It! Article
This article gives you a few ideas for understanding the Got It! game and how you might find a winning strategy.
Leonardo of Pisa and the Golden Rectangle
Leonardo who?! Well, Leonardo is better known as Fibonacci and this article will tell you some of fascinating things about his famous sequence.
A History of Astronomy
Astronomy grew out of problems that the early civilisations had. They needed to solve problems relating to time and distance - both mathematical topics.
History of Measurement
This article tells you all about some early ways of measuring as well as methods of measuring tall objects we can still use today. You can even have a go at some yourself!
Measure for Measure
This article, written for students, looks at how some measuring units and devices were developed.
St Ives
As I was going to St Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Every wife had seven sacks, every sack had seven cats, every cat had seven kittens. Kittens, cats, sacks and wives, how many were going to St Ives?
Going Places with Mathematicians
This article looks at the importance in mathematics of representing places and spaces mathematics. Many famous mathematicians have spent time working on problems that involve moving and mapping things.
All Is Number
Read all about Pythagoras' mathematical discoveries in this article written for students.
A-maze-ing
Did you know that ancient traditional mazes often tell a story? Remembering the story helps you to draw the maze.
An Introduction to Magic Squares
Find out about Magic Squares in this article written for students. Why are they magic?!
Paradoxes
A paradox is a statement that seems to be both untrue and true at the same time. This article looks at a few examples and challenges you to investigate them for yourself.
The Königsberg Bridge Problem
This article for pupils describes the famous Konigsberg Bridge problem.
Eclipses of the Sun
Mathematics has allowed us now to measure lots of things about eclipses and so calculate exactly when they will happen, where they can be seen from, and what they will look like.
On What Day Did it Happen?
Read this article to find out the mathematical method for working out what day of the week each particular date fell on back as far as 1700.
Pi, a Very Special Number
Read all about the number pi and the mathematicians who have tried to find out its value as accurately as possible.
More on Mazes
There is a long tradition of creating mazes throughout history and across the world. This article gives details of mazes you can visit and those that you can tackle on paper.
Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos was a Greek philosopher who lived from about 580 BC to about 500 BC. Find out about the important developments he made in mathematics, astronomy, and the theory of music.
Calendars
Calendars were one of the earliest calculating devices developed by civilisations. Find out about the Mayan calendar in this article.
Liethagoras' Theorem
Liethagoras, Pythagoras' cousin (!), was jealous of Pythagoras and came up with his own theorem. Read this article to find out why other mathematicians laughed at him.
From One Shape to Another
Read about David Hilbert who proved that any polygon could be cut up into a certain number of pieces that could be put back together to form any other polygon of equal area.
Latin Squares
A Latin square of order n is an array of n symbols in which each symbol occurs exactly once in each row and exactly once in each column.
What Are Numbers?
Ranging from kindergarten mathematics to the fringe of research this informal article paints the big picture of number in a non technical way suitable for primary teachers and older students.
Logic, Truth Tables and Switching Circuits Challenge
Learn about the link between logical arguments and electronic circuits. Investigate the logical connectives by making and testing your own circuits and fill in the blanks in truth tables to record your findings.
Truth Tables and Electronic Circuits
Investigate circuits and record your findings in this simple introduction to truth tables and logic.
Bands and Bridges: Bringing Topology Back
Lyndon Baker describes how the Mobius strip and Euler's law can introduce pupils to the idea of topology.
Zooming in on the Squares
Start with a large square, join the midpoints of its sides, you'll see four right angled triangles. Remove these triangles, a second square is left. Repeat the operation. What happens?
A Story about Absolutely Nothing
This article for the young and old talks about the origins of our number system and the important role zero has to play in it.
Dancing with Maths
An article for students and teachers on symmetry and square dancing. What do the symmetries of the square have to do with a dos-e-dos or a swing? Find out more?
Paper Folding - Models of the Platonic Solids
A description of how to make the five Platonic solids out of paper.
Sprouts
This article invites you to get familiar with a strategic game called "sprouts". The game is simple enough for younger children to understand, and has also provided experienced mathematicians with significant food for thought.
Mathematical Patchwork
Jenny Murray describes the mathematical processes behind making patchwork in this article for students.
On Time?
This article explains how Greenwich Mean Time was established and in fact, why Greenwich in London was chosen as the standard.
History of Fractions
Who first used fractions? Were they always written in the same way? How did fractions reach us here? These are the sorts of questions which this article will answer for you.
Maurits Cornelius Escher
Have you ever noticed how mathematical ideas are often used in patterns that we see all around us? This article describes the life of Escher who was a passionate believer that maths and art can be intertwined.
Coordinates
Has it ever occurred to you how maps are made? Or perhaps who first thought of the idea of designing maps? We're here to answer these questions for you.
History of Money
If you would like a new CD you would probably go into a shop and buy one using coins or notes. (You might need to do a bit of saving first!) However, this way of paying for the things you want did not always exist. Find out more ...
Logic
What does logic mean to us and is that different to mathematical logic? We will explore these questions in this article.
Adding with the Abacus
Nowadays the calculator is very familiar to many of us. What did people do to save time working out more difficult problems before the calculator existed?
The Naked Pair in Sudoku
A particular technique for solving Sudoku puzzles, known as "naked pair", is explained in this easy-to-read article.
The Random World
Think that a coin toss is 50-50 heads or tails? Read on to appreciate the ever-changing and random nature of the world in which we live.
Circles, Circles Everywhere
This article for pupils gives some examples of how circles have featured in people's lives for centuries.
Lucky Numbers
This article for pupils explores what makes numbers special or lucky, and looks at the numbers that are all around us every day.
Shaping the Universe I - Planet Earth
This article explores ths history of theories about the shape of our planet. It is the first in a series of articles looking at the significance of geometric shapes in the history of astronomy.
Maths in the Victorian Classroom
What was it like to learn maths at school in the Victorian period? We visited the British Schools Museum in Hitchin to find out.
Plaiting and Braiding
This article for students gives some instructions about how to make some different braids.
Celtic Knotwork Patterns
This article for pupils gives an introduction to Celtic knotwork patterns and a feel for how you can draw them.
Drawing Doodles and Naming Knots
This article for students introduces the idea of naming knots using numbers. You'll need some paper and something to write with handy!
A Brief History of Time Measurement
Noticing the regular movement of the Sun and the stars has led to a desire to measure time. This article for teachers and learners looks at the history of man's need to measure things.
From A Random World to a Rational Universe
In the time before the mathematical idea of randomness was discovered, people thought that everything that happened was part of the will of supernatural beings. So have things changed?
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