Making Maths Count

  • The beauty of maths

    4th March 2016 by

    “I just think it’s beautiful.” That’s Prof. Tara Brendle’s view of maths. Here she explains how mathematical thinking is used in all we do, and how it appears to be a subject with a special place in the hearts of taxi drivers. For me maths has always been about patterns. What first drew me to...

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  • Maths and music – keeping the beat

    2nd March 2016 by

    Paul Quinn - drummer and music studio manager

    “Music is the pleasure the human soul experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting.” The words of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, a German mathematician and philosopher who co-discovered calculus, resonate loudly with Scots drummer Paul Quinn, who explains how numbers are an integral part of playing music, and the wider music industry....

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  • Using maths to change lives – thanks to a supportive mother

    26th February 2016 by

    Ever heard of the ‘growth mindset’? It’s about believing you can improve at something, albeit with a lot of hard work and perseverance. It’s talked about a lot in sports. But what about maths? Well here there’s a problem. Too many people have a ‘fixed mindset’ when it comes to numbers – they believe they can or can’t do maths and...

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  • Learning AND laughing – maths gets murderous

    23rd February 2016 by

    Can maths be fun? Author Kjartan Poskitt certainly thinks so. His Murderous Maths books have been entertaining children, and educating them on the side, for 20 years. Ahead of his show at the Edinburgh International Science Festival next month, he spoke to us about the approach he takes to get children enjoying maths. About 20...

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  • Want to change the world?

    19th February 2016 by

    Want to change the world? You should be embracing maths then. Here Caroline Stuart, Director of Oracle Scotland and a member of our Making Maths Count group, explains why. To me it seems incredibly odd that there are still people who think maths can only lead to a boring career, sitting on your own, staring...

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  • Gingerbread, weather and cricket – it’s all in the maths!

    16th February 2016 by

    Heather presenting the weather for BBC Scotland

    A gingerbread Coliseum, the weather and cricket. What’s the link? As Heather Reid, former BBC Scotland weather forecaster and a member of our Making Maths Count group explains, it’s maths. I’ve always liked maths and working with numbers. I think I made the link between maths and science fairly early on and found it so...

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  • Let’s talk about maths

    15th February 2016 by

    Welcome to the Making Maths Count blog. We’re a group of individuals brought together from the fields of education, business and science, to share our passion for maths and to help everyone understand why having good everyday maths skills is important – whatever your age, interests or career aspirations. The initiative was established by the...

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