A-level Maths

Fresh Articles

• A Mathematician's Apology

  

  The influential English mathematician G H Hardy wrote this wonderful, and very short, treatise on what it was to be a mathematician, back in 1940. It remains a classic text, devoid of mathematical symbols save in a couple of places. These should not scare anyone. I would say that it should be...

• Carl Friedrich Gauss' iPhone5 and a nasty teacher

  

  Carl Friederich Gauss was born in 1777 and grew up to be one of the greatest mathematicians ever. As a young boy, however, he was very naughty. One day in school, the 8-year-old Carl, being completed bored during an arithmetic lesson, was caught playing Angry Birds on his iPhone 5. Instead of...

• Experience Mathematics

  

  If you enjoy studying mathematics, and want to think about the philosophy surrounding the subject, then I heartily recommend reading 'The Mathematical Experience' by Davis and Hersh. It's a thorough yet accessible account of this fascinating topic, and will give a different perspective on the...

• Winning the national lottery

  

  The following is a particularly good read (and fairly easy) for those looking at maths in a popular cultural context: http://understandinguncertainty.org/it-possible-improve-your-chances-winning-big-national-lottery

• The learning pyramid

  

  A google search on 'learning pyramid' will produce a variety of diagrams.  What they show is that the most effective way to retain information learned in a lesson is to teach others.  I encourage my students to help others in their class who may be stuck on any topics we have covered during...

• A Problem Halved: the Trouble with Fractions ^{Editor's Pick}

  

  We see fractions all around us in everyday life: “Add a quarter of a litre...” or “One tenth of all children...” or even “It’s a game of two halves!” But most Maths students have a mental block when it comes to handling fractions. I see this even amongst capable A Level students who struggle...

• Maths - The Universal Language

  

  Mathematics is the universal part of human culture, and the language that enables scientists to understand the world around us. It is the language that nature uses to communicate with us. Mathematics is everywhere in our daily lives, and although most often unseen, it is embedded in the most...

• Taking Ownership of YOUR Learning

  

  A Key fact about your A Level Maths is the fact that YOU need to be in absolute control of your subject from the very onset. You want to be able to make an excellent grade right from the start, so how do you approach your studies ? Many students , at the start of the academic year, are still in...

• A Simple Way to Estimate Square Roots

  

  Working out a square root can be difficult and time-consuming, and sometimes a calculator isn't immediately to hand! Next time you need to work out the square root of a number, why not try this simple trick? To find an estimate of the square root of a number A, follow these steps: Pick a number...

• An exam question

  

  A question in a current GCSE text runs thus: it is 1 o'clock on a standard Big Ben type clock face. At what time will the hour hand and minute hand next be in line? Answer. Suppose this happens after n minutes; the hands will be in line just after 1. After 1 hour + 2n minutes the hands will be...