Popular, historical, recreational and discursive talks

View a map of the talks I have given.

All 84 popular, historical, recreational and discursive talks presented in reverse chronological order.

You can also view public talks and other maths communication activities.

2023

  1. Careers in Maths talk and Mathematical modelling workshop, Year 13, Tupton Hall School, Chesterfield (18/09/2023).

  2. Careers in Maths talk and Cryptography workshop, Year 12, St Mary's Catholic High School, Chesterfield (13/07/2023).

  3. Careers in Maths, Year 12, Outwood Academy Newbold, Chesterfield (10/07/2023).

  4. Puzzles and Games, MathsCity, Leeds (01/06/2023).

  5. Cryptography workshop (Year 12) and Mathematical modelling workshop (Year 7/8), David Nieper Academy, Alfreton (22/05/2023). With Keith Harris.

  6. Mathematical modelling workshops, Year 10 and Year 12, St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent (11/05/2023). With Angharad Ugonna, Alex Shukie and Vijay Teeluck.

  7. Maths in science/Playful puzzles and games workshops, Year 10, Shirebrook Academy, Shirebrook (04/05/2023). With Vijay Teeluck.

  8. Mathematics: Broader Horizons, Year 12 visit day, Sheffield Hallam University (26/04/2023). With Angharad Ugonna, Alex Corner and Keith Harris.

  9. Careers in Maths, Year 12, Bramcote College, Nottingham (25/04/2023).

  10. Could you be a codebreaker?, Year 10, Thistley Hough Academy, Stoke-on-Trent (24/04/2023).

  11. Careers in Maths, Year 12, Bilborough College, Nottingham (31/03/2023).

  12. Mathematics Poster Competition, British Science Week 2023.

  13. Playful puzzles and games, British Science Week 2023, Sheffield Hallam University (14/03/2023). With Alex Corner.

  14. The maths of simple two-player games, Physics lunchtime lecture series, Sheffield Hallam University (31/01/2023).

2022

  1. On-Sets: a vintage game of set theory, MathsJam Conference 2022 (19/11/2022).

  2. Games that you don't realise that you're not playing, 24 Hour Maths Game Show (29/10/2022). With Alex Corner video.

  3. Our world simulated with dice, IMA Festival of Mathematics and its Applications, Sheffield (04-05/07/2022).

  4. Playful puzzles and games, IMA Festival of Mathematics and its Applications, Sheffield (04/07/2022). With Alex Corner.

  5. There are 40,320 ways to give this talk, IMA Festival of Mathematics and its Applications, Sheffield (04/07/2022).

  6. Our world simulated with dice, MathsCity, Leeds (02/06/2022).

  7. Mathematics Poster Competition, British Science Week 2022.

2020

  1. nimsticks: making games with LaTeX and Lua, MathsJam Conference 2020 (22/11/2020).

  2. Mathematical Objects Roadshow, MathsJam Conference 2020 (21/11/2020). With Katie Steckles.

  3. There are 362,880 ways to give this talk, Institute of Mathematics and its Applications East Midlands Branch, University of Nottingham (30/01/2020).

2019

  1. #tmwyk - mathematical play in education, MathsJam Conference 2019 (30/11/2019).

2018

  1. Counting caterpillars, MathsJam Conference 2018 (17/11/2018).

2016

  1. Mathematical Toddler Toys, MathsJam Conference 2016 (12/11/2016).

2015

  1. Nim-like games, MathsJam Conference 2015 (07/11/2015).

  2. The unplanned impact of mathematics, Cafe Sci, Nottingham (20/04/2015).

  3. George Green: A Miller's Tale, Clifton Village Residents' Association, Clifton Village Hall, Nottingham (23/03/2015).

  4. Solving It Like A Mathematician, Nottingham Festival of Science and Curiosity, Broadmarsh Centre, Nottingham (20/03/2015).

2014

  1. George Green's Mathematical Influences, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham (12/11/2014).

  2. Chair, From Durer to sudoku: 500 years of recreational maths, British Science Festival 2014 (06/09/2014).

  3. Game theory workshop, East Midlands Big Bang 2014, Derby Roundhouse (10/07/2014). With Kingsley Webster.

  4. Solving It Like A Mathematician, East Midlands Big Bang 2014, Derby Roundhouse (10/07/2014).

  5. Co-organiser, What has Mathematics done for us?, IMA Festival of Mathematics and its Applications, Manchester (03/07/2014).

  6. A Taste of Maths Jam, after-dinner session, 8th British Congress of Mathematics Education (14/04/2014). With Katie Steckles.

2013

  1. A brief history of mathematics: 5,000 years from Egypt to Nottingham Trent, Nottingham Trent University Maths Society (06/11/2013).

  2. Ox Blocks probabilities, MathsJam Conference 2013 (03/11/2013).

  3. Quarto games of different sizes, MathsJam Conference 2013 (02/11/2013).

  4. Designing Coincidences, Year 9 Masterclass on probability, Liverpool (05/10/2013).

  5. The unplanned impact of mathematics: surprising examples of unexpected applications, British Mathematical Colloquium 2013, History of Mathematics workshop, University of Sheffield (27/03/2013).

2012

  1. The Unplanned Impact of Mathematics, British Society for the History of Mathematics Christmas meeting, Birmingham (08/12/2012).

  2. Chair, IMA Early Career Mathematicians' Autumn Conference 2012, University of Greenwich (24/11/2012).

  3. Preliminary analysis of a large data set, MathsJam Conference 2012 (17/11/2012).

  4. Solving It Like A Mathematician, STEM Pop Up Shop, Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, Nottingham (26/10/2012).

  5. Solving It Like A Mathematician, East Midlands Big Bang 2012, East Midlands Conference Centre (28/06/2012).

  6. History of cryptography, University of Salford (06/03/2012).

2011

  1. Chair, 15th IMA Early Career Mathematicians Conference, University of Bristol (19/11/2011).

  2. Why the hot light bulb annoys me, MathsJam Conference 2011 (12/11/2011).

  3. Unplanned impact of mathematics, MathsJam Conference 2011 (12/11/2011).

  4. Maths Puzzles, SSAT Annual Maths Conference 2011, University of Warwick (13/07/2011).

  5. Solving It Like A Mathematician, East Midlands Big Bang 2011, East Midlands Conference Centre (28/06/2011).

  6. A Maths History Tour of Nottingham, History of Maths splinter, British Mathematical Colloquium 2011, University of Leicester (20/04/2011).

  7. Chance and Coincidence, Manchester Metropolitan University (23/02/2011).

2010

  1. Bacon, Small-Worlds, and Your Important Friends: Social Network Theory Explained, University of Leicester (19/11/2010). With Samuel Hansen.

  2. Maths and Computing History tour of Nottingham, University of Greenwich (17/11/2010). With Samuel Hansen.

  3. Bacon, Small-Worlds, and Your Important Friends: Social Network Theory Explained, University of Birmingham (15/11/2010). With Samuel Hansen.

  4. A curious fact about almost every integer, MathsJam Conference 2010 (14/11/2010).

  5. Thinking outside of the box, MathsJam Conference 2010 (13/11/2010).

  6. Cryptography, University of Derby (21/04/2010).

  7. Cryptography, Aberystwyth University (19/03/2010).

  8. Shape of the cosmos, University of Nottingham (16/03/2010).

  9. Puzzles, schools outreach event, Cardiff University (09/03/2010).

  10. Chance and Coincidence, University of Leicester (04/02/2010).

2009

  1. Cryptography, University of Southampton (03/12/2009).

  2. Substitution ciphers: Ancient - Renaissance, University of Nottingham (01/12/2009) video.

  3. Cryptography, Heriot-Watt University (27/11/2009).

  4. Puzzles, University of Edinburgh (26/11/2009).

  5. Cryptography, University of St. Andrews (26/11/2009).

  6. Cryptography, University of Aberdeen (24/11/2009).

  7. Cryptography, University of Sheffield (19/11/2009).

  8. Puzzles, Northumbria University (12/11/2009).

  9. Spin in Ball Games, University of York (11/11/2009).

  10. Puzzles, Newcastle University (10/11/2009).

  11. Puzzles, London School of Economics (02/11/2009).

  12. Cryptography, Lancaster University (27/10/2009).

  13. Puzzles, sixth form lecture, University of Liverpool (15/10/2009).

  14. Puzzles, University of York (05/05/2009).

  15. Spin in Ball Games, University of Sheffield (29/04/2009).

  16. Spin in Ball Games, Newcastle University (28/04/2009).

  17. Spin in Ball Games, University of Leicester (05/03/2009).

  18. Spin in Ball Games, University of Greenwich (18/02/2009).

2008

  1. Cryptography, Newcastle University (25/11/2008).