Maths outreach activities

An easy introduction to the mathematics of codes, from simple Caesar cyphers to modern-day cryptography.

In a sequence of games between two players, how can we distinguish between one player being more "skillful" than the other, or them just being "lucky"? This activity looks at patterns in sequences of coin tosses, and relates them to observed runs in sport and the concept of "regression to the mean".

This uses the idea of repeated experiments to estimate a probability, and finds a good approximation for π along the way

A crime has been committed in the (fictional) town of Springfield! Can you work out the identity of the culprit, using a mixture of geometry, probability and cryptography?

Penney Ante is a simple coin-tossing game with some very counter-intuitive properties! This session explores these properties, and shows how to use the binary number system to work out optimal game strategies.

An exploration of prime numbers, from historical results to modern day advances, including how these fascinating numbers are now crucial to the security of the internet through public key cryptography.

A gentle introduction to the mathematics of card shuffling, involving probability, permutations and a little magic!

An introduction to the maths behind financial markets.

This uses probability, logarithms and differentiation, and shows how hard it is to make money through gambling!

An introduction to group theory via bell-ringing and the 15 puzzle.

The maths hidden underneath this simple conundrum has direct relevance to real problems in ecology and evolution - how fast should a fish swim, why do little old ladies break their bones, and how do bacteria learn to gamble?

The maths of ecosystems, climate change, and how to go to the toilet!