Last Friday, a group of year 10 students travelled to London to watch an interactive maths show hosted by Maths in Action. The purpose of the event was to enhance mathematical understanding, improve problem solving skills and, above all, to raise awareness of the maths that is all around us. Students enjoyed presentations on a variety of topics ranging from Mathemusic and Maths v Sport, to The Maths of Optical Illusion Design and The Maths of Luck. There was also an Exam Masterclass in which students were invited to mark questions to see if they could spot some common pitfalls.

Questions discussed during the day included: “Are you more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery?”, “How many galaxies are there?” and “Which part of the goal should you aim for to maximise your chances of scoring a penalty?”. The answer to that is apparently 60cm inside the post and 1.79m high, although not everyone agreed!

Students conducted themselves extremely well throughout the day and were engaged and courteous. We hope the trip has inspired them to continue their study of maths to A Level and beyond!