Rob Eastaway
@robeastaway.bsky.social
Author, speaker, Director of www.mathsinspiration.com, cricket-lover, dad. Friend of BBC R4's podcast More or Less.
We often pigeonhole people as either a "maths " or an "arts“ person, but in Shakespeare’s time this divide didn’t exist.
I spoke with @Folger.edu about why looking at Shakespeare through the eyes of a mathematician can help students to appreciate both disciplines. www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
I spoke with @Folger.edu about why looking at Shakespeare through the eyes of a mathematician can help students to appreciate both disciplines. www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
Shakespeare and Mathematics | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
www.folger.edu
February 1, 2026 at 9:39 AM
We often pigeonhole people as either a "maths " or an "arts“ person, but in Shakespeare’s time this divide didn’t exist.
I spoke with @Folger.edu about why looking at Shakespeare through the eyes of a mathematician can help students to appreciate both disciplines. www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
I spoke with @Folger.edu about why looking at Shakespeare through the eyes of a mathematician can help students to appreciate both disciplines. www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...
In NSW Australia there are three leaving-school maths exams: Standard, Extension 1 and Extension 2, which roughly equate to our AS, A level and Further. Here's the 2024 Extension 1 paper.
I like the quickie questions at the start, which test a range of maths skills www.nsw.gov.au/sites/defaul...
I like the quickie questions at the start, which test a range of maths skills www.nsw.gov.au/sites/defaul...
www.nsw.gov.au
January 30, 2026 at 5:43 PM
In NSW Australia there are three leaving-school maths exams: Standard, Extension 1 and Extension 2, which roughly equate to our AS, A level and Further. Here's the 2024 Extension 1 paper.
I like the quickie questions at the start, which test a range of maths skills www.nsw.gov.au/sites/defaul...
I like the quickie questions at the start, which test a range of maths skills www.nsw.gov.au/sites/defaul...
Have you ever heard of "Transient Global Amnesia"? No, I hadn't either, until the 24th July last year, when it happened to me. For a day I forgot everything.
Here's the story: robeastaway.com/blog/amnesia
Here's the story: robeastaway.com/blog/amnesia
Rob Eastaway
robeastaway.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Have you ever heard of "Transient Global Amnesia"? No, I hadn't either, until the 24th July last year, when it happened to me. For a day I forgot everything.
Here's the story: robeastaway.com/blog/amnesia
Here's the story: robeastaway.com/blog/amnesia
Not been to the new MathsWorld in London yet?
Come along on the evening of Thursday 29th Jan. I'm doing a talk on the maths of Shakespeare's London and it's also a chance to play with all the puzzles and exhibits. mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
Come along on the evening of Thursday 29th Jan. I'm doing a talk on the maths of Shakespeare's London and it's also a chance to play with all the puzzles and exhibits. mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
January 19, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Not been to the new MathsWorld in London yet?
Come along on the evening of Thursday 29th Jan. I'm doing a talk on the maths of Shakespeare's London and it's also a chance to play with all the puzzles and exhibits. mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
Come along on the evening of Thursday 29th Jan. I'm doing a talk on the maths of Shakespeare's London and it's also a chance to play with all the puzzles and exhibits. mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
So happy to be back in nets, the season is just three months away
January 17, 2026 at 7:06 PM
So happy to be back in nets, the season is just three months away
Step into Shakespeare's London as never before, an evening talk on Thursday 29th January at the amazing new MathsWorld venue, not far from the Globe mathsworld.com/events
January 16, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Step into Shakespeare's London as never before, an evening talk on Thursday 29th January at the amazing new MathsWorld venue, not far from the Globe mathsworld.com/events
Reposted by Rob Eastaway
We were delighted to host “Shakespeare’s Hidden Numbers” at the library, a fascinating talk by Rob Eastaway, author of Much Ado About Numbers. The session had students laughing and seeing Maths/The Bard in a whole new light. Thank you @kes-mathematics.bsky.social for this opportunity!
January 14, 2026 at 2:33 PM
We were delighted to host “Shakespeare’s Hidden Numbers” at the library, a fascinating talk by Rob Eastaway, author of Much Ado About Numbers. The session had students laughing and seeing Maths/The Bard in a whole new light. Thank you @kes-mathematics.bsky.social for this opportunity!
29th January, 7pm - I'm doing a talk at MathsWorld London about the Maths of Shakespeare's London.
Elizabethan History meets Shakespeare and mathematics.
Also a great chance to visit this fabulous new venue which is close to Tate Modern. Advance booking required.
mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
Elizabethan History meets Shakespeare and mathematics.
Also a great chance to visit this fabulous new venue which is close to Tate Modern. Advance booking required.
mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
January 15, 2026 at 8:52 AM
29th January, 7pm - I'm doing a talk at MathsWorld London about the Maths of Shakespeare's London.
Elizabethan History meets Shakespeare and mathematics.
Also a great chance to visit this fabulous new venue which is close to Tate Modern. Advance booking required.
mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
Elizabethan History meets Shakespeare and mathematics.
Also a great chance to visit this fabulous new venue which is close to Tate Modern. Advance booking required.
mathsworld.com/events/Shake...
Every so often I get a really unusual enquiry about maths. Yesterday it was a call from 5Live, asking for my views on the shape of the table used by the Cabinet. Blog below but TL;DR it's an irregular octagon, but an ellipse would be better. robeastaway.com/blog/cabinet...
Rob Eastaway
robeastaway.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Every so often I get a really unusual enquiry about maths. Yesterday it was a call from 5Live, asking for my views on the shape of the table used by the Cabinet. Blog below but TL;DR it's an irregular octagon, but an ellipse would be better. robeastaway.com/blog/cabinet...
Yesterday as a follow-up for @bbc5live I picked five numbers of 2026. They are 48, 78, 2026 itself, 3452 and half a trillion. (TLDL: we need more maths graduates and the World Cup won't be as good as the last one) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/..., starts about 01:45 in.
January 3, 2026 at 11:49 AM
Yesterday as a follow-up for @bbc5live I picked five numbers of 2026. They are 48, 78, 2026 itself, 3452 and half a trillion. (TLDL: we need more maths graduates and the World Cup won't be as good as the last one) www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/..., starts about 01:45 in.
BBC Radio 5live asked me to pick five numbers of the year. They are 6, 33, 2025 itself, 1 trillion and 67 (sorry).
My chat with Marianna Spring starts just over 30 mins in.
Happy New Year. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
My chat with Marianna Spring starts just over 30 mins in.
Happy New Year. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Matt Chorley - with Marianna Spring - BBC Sounds
Marianna Spring sits in with political guests, news, and your views on the day's stories.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 31, 2025 at 10:48 PM
BBC Radio 5live asked me to pick five numbers of the year. They are 6, 33, 2025 itself, 1 trillion and 67 (sorry).
My chat with Marianna Spring starts just over 30 mins in.
Happy New Year. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
My chat with Marianna Spring starts just over 30 mins in.
Happy New Year. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Despite the headline, this is NOT a 'trillions to one' story (that would be the odds of a pre-specified, named person winning twice). This sort of story is newsworthy, but probability theory says we should expect it to happen every so often - and it does!
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Lottery winners scoop jackpot again in 24-trillion-to-one odds
Already millionaires, Richard Davies and Faye Stevenson-Davies scoop another seven-figure Lotto jackpot.
www.bbc.com
December 16, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Despite the headline, this is NOT a 'trillions to one' story (that would be the odds of a pre-specified, named person winning twice). This sort of story is newsworthy, but probability theory says we should expect it to happen every so often - and it does!
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
I loved performing my Much Ado About Numbers show for Year 10s at the Rose Theatre in Kingston yesterday - a theatre based on the plan of the original @roseplayhouse.bsky.social in Southwark.
"Swear not by the moon...That monthly changes in her circled orb" (Romeo & Juliet)
"Swear not by the moon...That monthly changes in her circled orb" (Romeo & Juliet)
December 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
I loved performing my Much Ado About Numbers show for Year 10s at the Rose Theatre in Kingston yesterday - a theatre based on the plan of the original @roseplayhouse.bsky.social in Southwark.
"Swear not by the moon...That monthly changes in her circled orb" (Romeo & Juliet)
"Swear not by the moon...That monthly changes in her circled orb" (Romeo & Juliet)
I just needed to use Pythagoras in everyday life!
We are using tape to mark up a 3-mens morris board on stage. The board need to be about 2.5m square. How much tape do we need? (I make it ~22 metres).
We are using tape to mark up a 3-mens morris board on stage. The board need to be about 2.5m square. How much tape do we need? (I make it ~22 metres).
December 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
I just needed to use Pythagoras in everyday life!
We are using tape to mark up a 3-mens morris board on stage. The board need to be about 2.5m square. How much tape do we need? (I make it ~22 metres).
We are using tape to mark up a 3-mens morris board on stage. The board need to be about 2.5m square. How much tape do we need? (I make it ~22 metres).
In her SparxMaths homework, I watch a GCSE pupil being asked to fully expand the expression (3x + 5)^4 . To ensure she doesn't cheat with AI she has to answer correctly online AND write out all her workings on paper.
Sorry, this isn't maths, it's five minutes of pointless number-crunching.
Sorry, this isn't maths, it's five minutes of pointless number-crunching.
December 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM
In her SparxMaths homework, I watch a GCSE pupil being asked to fully expand the expression (3x + 5)^4 . To ensure she doesn't cheat with AI she has to answer correctly online AND write out all her workings on paper.
Sorry, this isn't maths, it's five minutes of pointless number-crunching.
Sorry, this isn't maths, it's five minutes of pointless number-crunching.
Top tip: If you're a bill poster, be careful to get the join in the right place.
Apply now for your Klarna "debt card".
[seen on LinkedIn]
Apply now for your Klarna "debt card".
[seen on LinkedIn]
December 7, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Top tip: If you're a bill poster, be careful to get the join in the right place.
Apply now for your Klarna "debt card".
[seen on LinkedIn]
Apply now for your Klarna "debt card".
[seen on LinkedIn]
Was Shakespeare an accountant? TL;DR - yes he probably was. Here's my evidence: abmagazine.accaglobal.com/global/artic...
Was Shakespeare an accountant?
Look closely at the bard’s plays and you’ll notice he had a surprising flair for ledgers
abmagazine.accaglobal.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Was Shakespeare an accountant? TL;DR - yes he probably was. Here's my evidence: abmagazine.accaglobal.com/global/artic...
How numbers permeated Shakespeare's work - an extract from Much Ado just published on the website of @folger.edu: www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Shakespearean Numbers | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
www.folger.edu
December 2, 2025 at 11:04 AM
How numbers permeated Shakespeare's work - an extract from Much Ado just published on the website of @folger.edu: www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
Today is the day I learned that the LIV Golf tour gets its name from the Roman numerals L I V (= 54).
Each tournament has three rounds of 18 holes (=54) and in each round on a par 72 course, if you get a birdie on each hole your score is 54.
Top golfing nerdery.
Each tournament has three rounds of 18 holes (=54) and in each round on a par 72 course, if you get a birdie on each hole your score is 54.
Top golfing nerdery.
November 24, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Today is the day I learned that the LIV Golf tour gets its name from the Roman numerals L I V (= 54).
Each tournament has three rounds of 18 holes (=54) and in each round on a par 72 course, if you get a birdie on each hole your score is 54.
Top golfing nerdery.
Each tournament has three rounds of 18 holes (=54) and in each round on a par 72 course, if you get a birdie on each hole your score is 54.
Top golfing nerdery.
Reposted by Rob Eastaway
And to finish off the sessions for today, @RobEastaway.bsky.social has found a maths mistake in a late medieval textbook from 1503, showing the early adoption of a new form of arithmetic! robeastaway.com/blog... Grab yourself a copy here: www.peterharrington.... (for a bargain price!)
November 22, 2025 at 6:05 PM
And to finish off the sessions for today, @RobEastaway.bsky.social has found a maths mistake in a late medieval textbook from 1503, showing the early adoption of a new form of arithmetic! robeastaway.com/blog... Grab yourself a copy here: www.peterharrington.... (for a bargain price!)
I was a guest today on Matt Chorley's show on @bbc5live (item starts at around 1hr 37 into the programme), to talk about the importance of maths to the UK economy. Do I get a bonus point for sneaking in a mention of Benford's Law? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Matt Chorley - The Reasonably Fast Show - BBC Sounds
The Fast Show's Charlie Higson goes to PMQs, plus 'Poll Position' and smorgasbords.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 19, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I was a guest today on Matt Chorley's show on @bbc5live (item starts at around 1hr 37 into the programme), to talk about the importance of maths to the UK economy. Do I get a bonus point for sneaking in a mention of Benford's Law? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
An interaction at yesterday's launch of #MathsWeekEngland at the new MathsWorld venue near London's Bankside.
Mum with child: "What do you call the type of maths that's here at MathsWorld?"
Me: "It's officially called 'fun and interesting' maths"
Mum: "Ooh, we love this sort of maths"
Mum with child: "What do you call the type of maths that's here at MathsWorld?"
Me: "It's officially called 'fun and interesting' maths"
Mum: "Ooh, we love this sort of maths"
November 16, 2025 at 11:00 PM
An interaction at yesterday's launch of #MathsWeekEngland at the new MathsWorld venue near London's Bankside.
Mum with child: "What do you call the type of maths that's here at MathsWorld?"
Me: "It's officially called 'fun and interesting' maths"
Mum: "Ooh, we love this sort of maths"
Mum with child: "What do you call the type of maths that's here at MathsWorld?"
Me: "It's officially called 'fun and interesting' maths"
Mum: "Ooh, we love this sort of maths"
How GCSE exams are killing enrichment. My story won't surprise most teachers, but those outside the school system might be a bit shocked.
robeastaway.com/blog/gcse-bl...
robeastaway.com/blog/gcse-bl...
Rob Eastaway - 'From Year 10 we put on Blinkers'
'From Year 10 we put on Blinkers'
robeastaway.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
How GCSE exams are killing enrichment. My story won't surprise most teachers, but those outside the school system might be a bit shocked.
robeastaway.com/blog/gcse-bl...
robeastaway.com/blog/gcse-bl...
I did an interview on The Science Show on Resonance FM Radio, about the fantastic new MathsWorld which formally launches in London this week.
The Maths World item starts at about 49:00, link below: www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/th...
The Maths World item starts at about 49:00, link below: www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/th...
The Science Show - 3 November 2025 (Rob Eastaway; Nobels & Ig Nobels; Comets)
Mike and Richard from Science in the Pub present a monthly science show for everyone, packed with news, interviews and discussions, plus great music, cultural crossovers, and our favourite events and ...
www.mixcloud.com
November 9, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I did an interview on The Science Show on Resonance FM Radio, about the fantastic new MathsWorld which formally launches in London this week.
The Maths World item starts at about 49:00, link below: www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/th...
The Maths World item starts at about 49:00, link below: www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/th...