Maths11-14
11-14
You might already be thinking about your future, but have you thought about the part maths could play? Maths opens up a world of possibilities and expands your choices in the future. No matter how the world changes, maths will always be at the heart of life. Your future has some very attractive possibilities if it involves maths. Quite simply, maths not only helps you understand the world, it also opens up a world of opportunities!
Poster Competition 2011 / 2012
Ever wondered about the people behind the maths you learn at school? If you’re aged between 11 and 16 why not enter our competition to design a poster about a mathematician from the past? You could win a £100 Amazon Voucher!
What use is maths?
You may wonder what connects the maths you do in school to the real world. Will you ever have to solve an equation or find an angle outside your classroom? Maths is very useful and is everywhere in everyday life.
Colour calculations
Many different people need to know how to mix and create colours in order to do their jobs, and maths helps them to get the exact colour they need.
A bug's life
Most cicadas live for just a few years, but periodic cicadas live much longer, with lifespans of 13 or 17 years depending on the species.
What makes a computer a computer?
You probably think of computers as being made of silicon chips. But in theory, you could also make a computer from billiard balls, streams of water or chains.
Rubik’s Cube
The best selling toy of all time is the Rubik’s cube. Easy to scramble, difficult to solve, many people think those who can complete the brightly coloured Czech invention are very clever.
How round is your money?
The British 50p coin has a rather unusual shape. Like a circle, it has a fixed diameter, but clearly it isn’t as round as a circle. However, it is rounder than a regular heptagon, which has straight sides. So, just how round is it?
Cube Puzzle winners and solution
The Cube Puzzle was a challenge brought to the Big Bang London courtesy of the MathsCareers Team.
Horsing around with measurements
Horses can be very rewarding pets to own, but they are also rather large. As a responsible horse owner, it’s important to have an idea of your horses’ vital statistics to keep an eye on its condition and the food it needs.
Golden numbers
Can maths make things beautiful? Certain geometric shapes and ratios crop up again and again in art and nature.
Leaving messy footprints
The ‘carbon footprint’ is a measure of the amount of pollution that is created by doing certain things; but why does that matter, and what does it actually mean?
Figure drawing
Good art and good technique comes from practice, but you can make it easier on yourself by using maths.
What day is it?
Where do days, months, and years come from? Keeping track of time is harder than you think.
Ratios make baking a piece of cake
Cooking using ratios is much easier than working from a set recipe.
Tips on tips
Going out for a meal’s a treat. You’ve enjoyed some good food and someone else is going to wash up - but then comes the bill and the embarrassment of figuring out how much to tip.
Do iPods really shuffle?
Switching to shuffle is a great way of changing up your playlist, but a random mix isn't always best.
Acrobatic arithmetic
Changes to the rules of gymnastics left a lot of people unhappy when they lost the "perfect 10".
Driving faster than the speed of sound
Bloodhound is a British racing project hoping to beat the land speed record, and they’ve got a supercomputer to work out how.
What has just one side and gets in a twist?
It’s not a joke, but a strange mathematical object called a Möbius strip. Why not make one at home?
Counting calories
There are hundreds of diets on the market, but only one basic equation behind how we process food.
Symmetry, geometry … dance?
It’s not quite Strictly Come Dancing, but dancers and choreographers use maths in their work all the time.
Communication in a digital world
We send millions of digital messages around the world every day, and maths makes sure they get there.
Racing with ratios
How do professional cyclists reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour? Hard work, perseverance, and little bit of maths!
Whale watching
How do you count the whale population when there are only a few hundred of them and they keep out of sight?