Making Maths Count

  • Maths making it beautiful

    7th June 2016 by

    Anne Walker, a Jewellery Designer and Architect, talks us through some of the maths involved in realising her creative ideas. I always liked the problem-solving and the puzzle element of maths. Although maths and design may appear very different on paper they’re both about problem-solving. It doesn’t make sense to say that people are either...

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  • Maths at the zoo

    31st May 2016 by

    Whether it’s calculating a worming dose for a rhino or tracking the population growth of a gentoo penguin – everyone is doing a lot of maths at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, as Living Collections Manager, Jo Elliott, explains. I oversee the day-to-day running of the animal collection at the Zoo. The number of animals we have...

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  • Maths. It’s time we appreciated it

    24th May 2016 by

    Technology expert Chris van der Kuyl, the developer behind Minecraft Xbox 360, the fastest selling Xbox Live game in history, believes everyone can – and must – get to grip with numbers. To me, maths is something fundamental to everyday life – but I don’t think people have enough of an appreciation of it. I...

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  • Maths anxiety – a self-fulfilling prophecy we need to tackle

    20th May 2016 by

    Mike Ellicock, Chief Executive of UK charity National Numeracy, explains how developing a growth mindset could be the antidote to the maths anxiety experienced by millions in the UK. However maths makes you feel, you’re not alone Imagine the scenario… You are faced with a task that involves numbers. This might be a stock take...

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  • How we use maths in marketing

    17th May 2016 by

    The message and the creative content is critical to a good advertising campaign. But maths has a key role to play in keeping things  effective and results-driven, explains Nicola Potter from The Gate Interactive. As a Digital Account Manager at the global advertising agency, The Gate Interactive, I’ve certainly used lots of maths skills over the years. To get...

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  • Maths – it’s too important not to shout about it

    22nd March 2016 by

    Dr Trina Dinnis has always loved maths (or most bits anyway), but at school never thought she’d really use everything she was learning. In today’s blog she explains how matrices, calculus and imaginary numbers have in fact proved central to her work as an electrical engineer. I always liked maths at school. I liked that it was logical, and...

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  • The fastest route, the likely fare – there’s a lot of calculating in a taxi

    21st March 2016 by

    Maths teachers and accountants – that’s who uses maths isn’t it? Think again. Maths skills are essential for every career as well as modern life. From computer coders to café owners, we all need to be able to understand and handle numbers, think logically and problem-solve. Take taxi drivers for instance, as Tony Kenmuir, taxi...

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  • Transforming Scotland’s attitude to maths

    18th March 2016 by

    As Chair of the Making Maths Count group tasked with increasing enthusiasm for maths, I’m delighted to update you on our work as we publish our interim report. As Executive Director of Education at Glasgow City Council, it’s no surprise that educating our young people is my priority. But, as a maths teacher, challenging the...

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  • Maths and football – predicting the Scottish Premiership

    16th March 2016 by

    Football fans start to get really edgy about the numbers around now. They’re thinking about the games left to come, the likely outcomes and what that means for their team’s league position. Put simply, they’re doing a lot of maths. Today’s guest blogger, mathematician Professor David Sumpter, has gone a step further and used mathematical modelling...

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  • Maths in the kitchen – Flora shares a pie for Pi day

    14th March 2016 by

    It’s Pi Day – largely celebrated in the US where they have a different style for writing the date, but their way does make today the lovely 3.14. In celebration, Flora Shedden from The Great British Bake Off has joined with Making Maths Count to share her enthusiasm for maths – and to mark the day she’s also created us...

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