Maths16-19
16-19
Well done! You've made it through over a decade of compulsory education, and from now on it’s up to you to choose what you study. You've probably given some thought to your future career, and your choice of subjects is likely to be based upon what you intend to do after leaving school.
What's in a maths-based degree?
What degree to take at university is an important decision, and it can be a difficult one. Even if you know that you would like to do something related to maths, you still have to decide exactly what kind of degree it should be.
Alan Turing (1912-1954)
Alan Turing was a British mathematician, code-breaker and computer scientist. Article by Sally Bolton, winner of the Article Competition 2011/2012.
Who employs mathematicians?
Maths graduates may not always be aware of the various employment opportunities available to them. This page offers a list of employer websites divided into several categories.
Maths in work
This page offers a collection of videos illustrating how mathematics is used on a day-to-day basis in a variety of jobs.
Help me find …
If you’ve decided to continue studying maths after you leave school then you’ve already taken the first step on an exciting journey, but where will that journey lead?
What use is maths in getting a job?
What types of skills do employers look for? Problem solving, analysis, data handling and communication skills, to name just a few. These transferable skills are useful in any job, and you can get all of them from studying maths.
Weighing the world
Find out how the world was weighed, through mathematics, on a soggy mountain in Scotland.
Article Competition 2011-2012
Ever wondered about the people behind the maths you learn at school? If you’re between 17 and 19 put your communication skills to the test and write an article on the legacy of the work of Alan Turing.
Why don't we see in X-rays?
Visible light is the radiation the Sun generates most prolifically. It is also the radiation that our atmosphere hinders least. It is no surprise that the majority of eyes have evolved to be sensitive to the most abundant light around.
Why is the sky blue?
It is something we take for granted. The sky is not yellow, green or purple – it's blue, very blue. The reason for this very distinct hue is due to the way sunlight dances through the Earth's atmosphere.
What time is it? From sundials to atomic clocks
The simple question of 'what time is it?' started with a stick in the ground and is currently answered by closely observing the inner workings of caesium atoms.
Universities currently offering Maths degrees
A list of Universities currently offering mathematics as an undergraduate subject.
Swing when you're winning
Are winning streaks really the result of success breeding success, or are they nothing more than a statistical fluke?
Knot just a piece of string
Have you ever struggled to untie a particularly tight knot, battled with the jumbled mess of cables hidden behind your PC, or wondered why your shoelaces won't stay tied? If so, you're in good company, as mathematicians have wrestled with knots for over 200 years.
Evolution 2.0
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution tells us how every living thing on the planet has been sculpted by natural selection and adapted to its particular environment.
What goes around, comes around
Everyone knows that a boomerang comes back when you throw it, but why?
What’s the biggest number?
To our ancestors, a million was as big as numbers needed to get. There was no need to invoke the billons of finance or the terabytes of computing.
Navigation by the numbers
Maths is fundamental to the design and development of navigation systems. They use many different branches of maths, but particularly geometry, algebra, calculus, and probability.
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?
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Advice from employers to mathematical sciences students
A series of videos produced by www.wideangles.tv as part of the Curriculum Impact project based in the School of Mathematical Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London.
Cube Puzzle winners and solution
The Cube Puzzle was a challenge brought to the Big Bang London courtesy of the MathsCareers Team.
Statistically safe sex
You probably think that nothing could be further apart than sex and maths, but understanding the probability and statistics behind birth control will help you make informed choices about contraceptives and keep sex safe.
Needle in a world wide haystack
Web technologies are a growing and rapidly developing area to work in. Not only do they provide lots of interesting challenges to crack with problem solving skills, the solutions that are found make millions of people’s lives a little bit easier, and may end up as household names.
Design your own skate park
Creating a safe, stable environment with lots of potential for free-riding and tricks takes the input of a lot of skaters, and a fair amount of maths.
Juggling the numbers
How can three or more objects be kept in the air when you’ve only got two hands?
How to be statistically savvy
Comment is free; facts are sacred. You can’t argue with numbers - they tell it like it is. Or do they?
