Teaching and Learning

At the close of his sixteenth and final Dynamics student lecture, Derek Moulton gives a three-minute summary of why Dynamics is a big deal. It's a tour de 'force'.

'Riffing with Roger', an Oxford Mathematics Unoriginal starring Roger Penrose. And another Roger (sort of).

Tough choice. I'll have the Spaghetti alla Sam for main.

Roger Penrose was 95 on August 8th. The fire still burns bright.

Propose a talk, panel or workshop for OxFOS, Oxford's free, University-wide conference (8–11 March 2027), exploring how research can be more open, transparent and accessible. This year's theme is The Costs of Knowledge.

Submit your proposal by 14 October 2026

Image: Joachim Patinir - The Feeding of the Five Thousand

It has been erroneously suggested that we are using Pluto, our feline favourite, to sneak maths into the lives of people who don't understand it. Actually, we are using maths to sneak cats into the lives of people who don't understand them.

Pi and maths in India are on the menu in the last 'Tower of Babel'. Unlike other mathematical words, Pi has a habit of being the same in many languages.

Pi Day is on 14 March each year (geddit?). But if you don't want to be reminded of maths, there's always National Pie Day (US) or Pie Week (UK). Much too filling.

Pluto isn't doing much here. In fact he's not doing anything at all. But from his sedentary position, he is demonstrating an important piece of mathematics. Doesn't he always?

Latest episode of 'the Summer of Sam'.

Equations (in seven tongues) and al-Khwarizmi are the stars of Tower of Babel Episode 8. 

A long time ago, in a distant land called the English summer, you'd often see, in gardens, long tubes, usually made of rubber or plastic. At the end of these tubes, hands would wave the tube about and water might - or might not - gush. Happy days.