James Munro
@jamesmunromaths.bsky.social
Admissions and Outreach Coordinator for Maths at Oxford University. Also does maths comm outside of work! Opinions his own.
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jamesmunro
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jamesmunro
Maths Club: https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/club
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/jamesmunro
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jamesmunro
Maths Club: https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/club
Pinned
TMUA | Mathematical Institute
www.maths.ox.ac.uk
Oxford is switching from MAT to TMUA for Maths, Computer Science, and joint honours, as part of a wider move to UAT-UK tests. See www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/tmua for info and resources. As you can imagine, our website says MAT in lots of places, please bear with us as we change them all to TMUA! ^James
Out of interest, does Edexcel publish this data somewhere publicly accessible? (I'm not a teacher, if that matters)
January 28, 2026 at 5:36 PM
Out of interest, does Edexcel publish this data somewhere publicly accessible? (I'm not a teacher, if that matters)
I'm using Google Keep because they haven't yet added Gemini to it (maybe they have forgotten that Keep exists)
January 22, 2026 at 3:34 PM
I'm using Google Keep because they haven't yet added Gemini to it (maybe they have forgotten that Keep exists)
We think that a lot of Oxford applicants will probably take the TMUA anyway if they're applying to Durham / Imperial / LSE / Warwick / UCL. ^James
January 22, 2026 at 3:08 PM
We think that a lot of Oxford applicants will probably take the TMUA anyway if they're applying to Durham / Imperial / LSE / Warwick / UCL. ^James
Note that this is part of a wider move by the University of Oxford to use UAT-UK tests, and there will no longer be an Oxford-only test for any course. We're planning to continue to interview roughly three candidates per place for Mathematics and joint honours. ^James
January 22, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Note that this is part of a wider move by the University of Oxford to use UAT-UK tests, and there will no longer be an Oxford-only test for any course. We're planning to continue to interview roughly three candidates per place for Mathematics and joint honours. ^James
Oxford is switching from MAT to TMUA for Maths, Computer Science, and joint honours, as part of a wider move to UAT-UK tests. See www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/tmua for info and resources. As you can imagine, our website says MAT in lots of places, please bear with us as we change them all to TMUA! ^James
TMUA | Mathematical Institute
www.maths.ox.ac.uk
January 20, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Oxford is switching from MAT to TMUA for Maths, Computer Science, and joint honours, as part of a wider move to UAT-UK tests. See www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/tmua for info and resources. As you can imagine, our website says MAT in lots of places, please bear with us as we change them all to TMUA! ^James
Thanks for posting this Sarah! I'm looking forward to supporting our applicants with TMUA, and I'll be updating the department's new TMUA page at www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/tmua with resources. ^James
TMUA | Mathematical Institute
www.maths.ox.ac.uk
January 20, 2026 at 9:02 AM
Thanks for posting this Sarah! I'm looking forward to supporting our applicants with TMUA, and I'll be updating the department's new TMUA page at www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/tmua with resources. ^James
Reposted by James Munro
New academic year, new Step Support Programme website!
Over the summer we have updated our website, had a bit of a tidy up, and added some new content.
One of the new features is a "Check in test' for students who have completed the foundation modules complete with marksheme.
maths.org/step/
Over the summer we have updated our website, had a bit of a tidy up, and added some new content.
One of the new features is a "Check in test' for students who have completed the foundation modules complete with marksheme.
maths.org/step/
Home | STEP Support Programme
maths.org
September 1, 2025 at 9:32 AM
New academic year, new Step Support Programme website!
Over the summer we have updated our website, had a bit of a tidy up, and added some new content.
One of the new features is a "Check in test' for students who have completed the foundation modules complete with marksheme.
maths.org/step/
Over the summer we have updated our website, had a bit of a tidy up, and added some new content.
One of the new features is a "Check in test' for students who have completed the foundation modules complete with marksheme.
maths.org/step/
Laura has very helpfully put instructions on her website, I can't wait to make them when I get home! warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/math... and scroll down to "a pair of hyperbolic paraboloids".
Laura Bradby
warwick.ac.uk
August 30, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Laura has very helpfully put instructions on her website, I can't wait to make them when I get home! warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/math... and scroll down to "a pair of hyperbolic paraboloids".
Yesterday I saw a question here about mixed partial derivatives and it got me thinking about how a surface might or might not have d^2 f / dx dy = 0 if we rotate it. Today I saw these two ruled surfaces at #TMiP25 made by Laura Bradby. No such thing as coincidence in maths!
August 28, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Yesterday I saw a question here about mixed partial derivatives and it got me thinking about how a surface might or might not have d^2 f / dx dy = 0 if we rotate it. Today I saw these two ruled surfaces at #TMiP25 made by Laura Bradby. No such thing as coincidence in maths!
Reposted by James Munro
Our much missed colleague Vicky Neale wanted to tell the world about maths. So who better for the second Vicky Neale Public Lecture than Simon Singh who has spent a career doing just that.
Wednesday 6 August, 5pm, Oxford. Online three weeks later. More info: www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/72339
Wednesday 6 August, 5pm, Oxford. Online three weeks later. More info: www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/72339
July 24, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Our much missed colleague Vicky Neale wanted to tell the world about maths. So who better for the second Vicky Neale Public Lecture than Simon Singh who has spent a career doing just that.
Wednesday 6 August, 5pm, Oxford. Online three weeks later. More info: www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/72339
Wednesday 6 August, 5pm, Oxford. Online three weeks later. More info: www.maths.ox.ac.uk/node/72339
🚨🍩 Torus alert!! 🍩🚨
July 16, 2025 at 5:02 PM
🚨🍩 Torus alert!! 🍩🚨
No, I've got no idea whether this is true or not, sorry.
July 16, 2025 at 4:10 PM
No, I've got no idea whether this is true or not, sorry.
The University of Oxford is aware of the complaints. Have you approached Ofqual? ^James
July 8, 2025 at 5:56 AM
The University of Oxford is aware of the complaints. Have you approached Ofqual? ^James
You might be interested in the way the New Yorker handles this www.newyorker.com/culture/cult...
The Curse of the Diaeresis
www.newyorker.com
July 1, 2025 at 6:32 AM
You might be interested in the way the New Yorker handles this www.newyorker.com/culture/cult...
I'm imagining a number like 9.499999999997, with so many 9s in the middle that the calculator gives up and rounds this to 9.5, which begins 9.5. I've interpreted the question as being about the difference between the true answer and what the calculator says, which is probably not intended.
June 30, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I'm imagining a number like 9.499999999997, with so many 9s in the middle that the calculator gives up and rounds this to 9.5, which begins 9.5. I've interpreted the question as being about the difference between the true answer and what the calculator says, which is probably not intended.
I don't know any procedures for this, but my answer depends on the number of digits the calculator has (my lower bound is slightly below 9.5 to allow for some tiny amount of rounding, and similarly at the other end). Am I supposed to imagine a calculator that doesn't round?
June 30, 2025 at 7:25 AM
I don't know any procedures for this, but my answer depends on the number of digits the calculator has (my lower bound is slightly below 9.5 to allow for some tiny amount of rounding, and similarly at the other end). Am I supposed to imagine a calculator that doesn't round?
Reposted by James Munro
The MEGA Grant is a bursary scheme for maths communicators who want to put together large-scale, hands-on interactive maths events and this year's closing date is 22/7. If you have a cool idea and just need some support and £££ to make it happen, visit: tmip.uk/mega-grant
June 25, 2025 at 11:21 AM
The MEGA Grant is a bursary scheme for maths communicators who want to put together large-scale, hands-on interactive maths events and this year's closing date is 22/7. If you have a cool idea and just need some support and £££ to make it happen, visit: tmip.uk/mega-grant
All that tech and all that prep and I still forgot to unmute myself at the start haha ^James
June 12, 2025 at 6:20 PM
All that tech and all that prep and I still forgot to unmute myself at the start haha ^James
In #MathsToday we've started the MAT Livestream again; free online support for people thinking of applying for Maths or CS at university (and especially Oxford). See www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive for more! ^James
June 12, 2025 at 3:45 PM
In #MathsToday we've started the MAT Livestream again; free online support for people thinking of applying for Maths or CS at university (and especially Oxford). See www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive for more! ^James
Thanks Emily! ^James
June 10, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Thanks Emily! ^James
I'm not a primary or secondary teacher, but I'm interested in this! Why do you think the question says "on average"? The intention seems to be for children to just ignore those two words? But that bit is interesting to me because in general E(1/X) isn't 1/E(X)! Of course, KS2 kids don't know that...
June 7, 2025 at 7:09 AM
I'm not a primary or secondary teacher, but I'm interested in this! Why do you think the question says "on average"? The intention seems to be for children to just ignore those two words? But that bit is interesting to me because in general E(1/X) isn't 1/E(X)! Of course, KS2 kids don't know that...
Love the choice to use (2,0) instead of (1,0) and similarly on the y-axis. What changes if it's not convex? (Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the same answer in terms of a and b)
May 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Love the choice to use (2,0) instead of (1,0) and similarly on the y-axis. What changes if it's not convex? (Maybe I'm wrong, but I get the same answer in terms of a and b)
Templeton is attempting the Table Cubes activity; there are nine dice, each with four numbers written on them, and they can be arranged to show 9 times table, or the 8 times table, and so on down to the 1 times table. Activity adapted from magicmathworks.org/oldsite/exhi...
Magic Mathworks Info Sheet Tables Race
magicmathworks.org
May 10, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Templeton is attempting the Table Cubes activity; there are nine dice, each with four numbers written on them, and they can be arranged to show 9 times table, or the 8 times table, and so on down to the 1 times table. Activity adapted from magicmathworks.org/oldsite/exhi...
Maths for everyone at the Oxford Maths Festival, even dragons! #MathsToday
May 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Maths for everyone at the Oxford Maths Festival, even dragons! #MathsToday