@teacherbowtie.bsky.social
A braggart, a rogue, a villain that fights by the book of arithmetic!
https://teacherbowtie.wordpress.com
https://teacherbowtie.wordpress.com
One of the most interesting and exciting Maths books I have read for some time. Very balanced on its view of Babbage and his contemporaries, and stuffed full of fascinating detail.
An excellent way to do some Maths (sort of) over half term.
An excellent way to do some Maths (sort of) over half term.
October 28, 2025 at 1:52 PM
One of the most interesting and exciting Maths books I have read for some time. Very balanced on its view of Babbage and his contemporaries, and stuffed full of fascinating detail.
An excellent way to do some Maths (sort of) over half term.
An excellent way to do some Maths (sort of) over half term.
This is also the shape that an orange makes if you peel it in one piece starting at the top. (Presumably for similar reasons?)
Loxodromes, spirals on a sphere that meet each longitude at the same angle, map under stereographic projection to the double-spirals shown.
www.diffgeom.com/blogs/about-...
www.diffgeom.com/product/roll...
www.diffgeom.com/product/canv...
#MathSky #MathArt #ITeachmath
www.diffgeom.com/blogs/about-...
www.diffgeom.com/product/roll...
www.diffgeom.com/product/canv...
#MathSky #MathArt #ITeachmath
August 13, 2025 at 6:19 PM
This is also the shape that an orange makes if you peel it in one piece starting at the top. (Presumably for similar reasons?)
Reposted
Do you like maths? Do you like entertainment? Want to be entertained in a variety show about maths? Come along to the latest Clopen Mic Night and see these cool people (also me and my excellent bandmates): clopenmicnight.com/events/2025-...
Clopen Mic Night
Clopen Mic Night
clopenmicnight.com
April 21, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Do you like maths? Do you like entertainment? Want to be entertained in a variety show about maths? Come along to the latest Clopen Mic Night and see these cool people (also me and my excellent bandmates): clopenmicnight.com/events/2025-...
Reposted
Great post about teaching in the age of LLMs /AI
Not #iTeachMath but pertinent to the question of what do we want our students to get out of the learning process.
thewalrus.ca/i-used-to-te...
Not #iTeachMath but pertinent to the question of what do we want our students to get out of the learning process.
thewalrus.ca/i-used-to-te...
I Used to Teach Students. Now I Catch ChatGPT Cheats | The Walrus
I once believed university was a shared intellectual pursuit. That faith has been obliterated
thewalrus.ca
March 8, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Great post about teaching in the age of LLMs /AI
Not #iTeachMath but pertinent to the question of what do we want our students to get out of the learning process.
thewalrus.ca/i-used-to-te...
Not #iTeachMath but pertinent to the question of what do we want our students to get out of the learning process.
thewalrus.ca/i-used-to-te...
An excellent Howells-fest at #ChoralEvensong tonight.
February 9, 2025 at 6:24 PM
An excellent Howells-fest at #ChoralEvensong tonight.
This is very nice.
February 5, 2025 at 10:48 PM
This is very nice.
Did AI discover Prosthaphaeresis?
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostha...
(No, but it is very interesting nevertheless.)
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostha...
(No, but it is very interesting nevertheless.)
Language Models Use Trigonometry to Do Addition
They discover numbers are represented in these LLMs as a generalized helix, which is strongly causally implicated for the tasks of addition and subtraction, and is also causally relevant for integer division, multiplication, and modular arithmetic.
They discover numbers are represented in these LLMs as a generalized helix, which is strongly causally implicated for the tasks of addition and subtraction, and is also causally relevant for integer division, multiplication, and modular arithmetic.
February 4, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Did AI discover Prosthaphaeresis?
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostha...
(No, but it is very interesting nevertheless.)
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostha...
(No, but it is very interesting nevertheless.)
A modern paradox of the heap! What proportion of watching a film counts as watching a film?
Netflix’s claims about how many times a given film has been viewed, it turns out, are a complete fabrication. They quite literally add up all the partial viewing time including seconds something has been autoplayed and then divide by the length of the film.
www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...
www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...
December 28, 2024 at 9:03 PM
A modern paradox of the heap! What proportion of watching a film counts as watching a film?
I picked up Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology for the first time ever this week, and it is full of this. The result is that I am finding it very difficult to read.
(Also the relentless classism and sexism, but that is a separate issue.)
(Also the relentless classism and sexism, but that is a separate issue.)
Niche gripe:
I think there are a lot of people who get good at something via a combination of natural talent and grind, who then grow up to write books about how anyone can do it using a few simple tricks.
Science and math people are especially guilty of this.
I think there are a lot of people who get good at something via a combination of natural talent and grind, who then grow up to write books about how anyone can do it using a few simple tricks.
Science and math people are especially guilty of this.
December 24, 2024 at 9:49 PM
I picked up Hardy's A Mathematician's Apology for the first time ever this week, and it is full of this. The result is that I am finding it very difficult to read.
(Also the relentless classism and sexism, but that is a separate issue.)
(Also the relentless classism and sexism, but that is a separate issue.)
Reposted
The solid pictured below is comprised of an infinite number of cubes. The cube on the far left has a side length of 1, and each successive cube's side length is 2/3 that of the one to its left.
Find the volume and surface area of the solid.
#math #maths #MathSky #iTeachMath
Find the volume and surface area of the solid.
#math #maths #MathSky #iTeachMath
December 9, 2024 at 3:06 PM
The solid pictured below is comprised of an infinite number of cubes. The cube on the far left has a side length of 1, and each successive cube's side length is 2/3 that of the one to its left.
Find the volume and surface area of the solid.
#math #maths #MathSky #iTeachMath
Find the volume and surface area of the solid.
#math #maths #MathSky #iTeachMath
A fantastic day at the MEI Further Maths Conference today! Lots of fun thinking about difficult and interesting maths. Thank you @tombutton.bsky.social @natalievmei.bsky.social @mathemusician.bsky.social and everyone else!
November 30, 2024 at 4:19 PM
A fantastic day at the MEI Further Maths Conference today! Lots of fun thinking about difficult and interesting maths. Thank you @tombutton.bsky.social @natalievmei.bsky.social @mathemusician.bsky.social and everyone else!
Reposted
Reposted
Have just been reminded of this issue that occurs if you allow students to write i=√(-1)
#ALevelMaths
#ALevelMaths
September 23, 2024 at 2:30 PM
Have just been reminded of this issue that occurs if you allow students to write i=√(-1)
#ALevelMaths
#ALevelMaths
Reposted
Q for yr 12 yesterday
½log(4x²)+log(3/x)
Show that this expression gives the same result no matter the value of x
Extension: give me another expression like this
½log(4x²)+log(3/x)
Show that this expression gives the same result no matter the value of x
Extension: give me another expression like this
September 21, 2024 at 5:29 AM
Q for yr 12 yesterday
½log(4x²)+log(3/x)
Show that this expression gives the same result no matter the value of x
Extension: give me another expression like this
½log(4x²)+log(3/x)
Show that this expression gives the same result no matter the value of x
Extension: give me another expression like this
Reposted
Today's #DailyMathsLesson with U6 further pure #ALevelMaths is a classic. All these similar looking integrals with a variety of techniques!
September 6, 2024 at 2:10 PM
Today's #DailyMathsLesson with U6 further pure #ALevelMaths is a classic. All these similar looking integrals with a variety of techniques!
Reposted
did one of my favourite questions today
"give me an example of two prime numbers that sum to a square number"
then you start writing them down
then you start ordering them
see also "can the sum of two consecutive even numbers ever be a square number?"
#mathschat #ukmathschat #iteachmath #edusky
"give me an example of two prime numbers that sum to a square number"
then you start writing them down
then you start ordering them
see also "can the sum of two consecutive even numbers ever be a square number?"
#mathschat #ukmathschat #iteachmath #edusky
September 2, 2024 at 6:52 PM
did one of my favourite questions today
"give me an example of two prime numbers that sum to a square number"
then you start writing them down
then you start ordering them
see also "can the sum of two consecutive even numbers ever be a square number?"
#mathschat #ukmathschat #iteachmath #edusky
"give me an example of two prime numbers that sum to a square number"
then you start writing them down
then you start ordering them
see also "can the sum of two consecutive even numbers ever be a square number?"
#mathschat #ukmathschat #iteachmath #edusky
Reposted
August 13, 2024 at 5:24 AM
Reposted
Making a matrix multiplication trick: aperiodical.com/2024/08/matr...
Matrix multiplication doesn’t work like that
Earlier this week I posted a matrix multiplication worksheet on Mastodon. If you do some of these, you might spot what’s funny about them. For example. \[ \Large \begin{bmatrix}\color{navy}{4…
aperiodical.com
August 8, 2024 at 11:34 AM
Making a matrix multiplication trick: aperiodical.com/2024/08/matr...
Reposted
London Museum of Water & Steam launches urgent appeal to save their steam engines
➡️ ianvisits.co.uk/articles/lon...
The London Museum of Water & Steam has launched an urgent appeal to help save the two huge steam engines housed inside its Georgian pumping station.
➡️ ianvisits.co.uk/articles/lon...
The London Museum of Water & Steam has launched an urgent appeal to help save the two huge steam engines housed inside its Georgian pumping station.
London Museum of Water & Steam launches urgent appeal to save their steam engines
The London Museum of Water & Steam has launched an urgent appeal to help save the two huge steam engines housed inside its Georgian pumping station.
ianvisits.co.uk
July 26, 2024 at 9:06 AM
London Museum of Water & Steam launches urgent appeal to save their steam engines
➡️ ianvisits.co.uk/articles/lon...
The London Museum of Water & Steam has launched an urgent appeal to help save the two huge steam engines housed inside its Georgian pumping station.
➡️ ianvisits.co.uk/articles/lon...
The London Museum of Water & Steam has launched an urgent appeal to help save the two huge steam engines housed inside its Georgian pumping station.
I was looking through the Royal Mail website for some postage information, and found this crazy restriction on tube sizes:
July 24, 2024 at 10:53 AM
I was looking through the Royal Mail website for some postage information, and found this crazy restriction on tube sizes:
I hadn't realised 41 was so good, but the list up to 10 000 only has one number greater than it that even reaches 10 consecutive primes.
I wonder if it can be beaten?
I wonder if it can be beaten?
A quadratic function that generates primes. Will it keep generating primes forever? When will it stop? I explored prime-generating functions and ended up finding a sequence that wasn't in the OEIS - it is now! aperiodical.com/2024/05/prim...
Prime-generating functions
A few weeks ago I heard someone casually refer to ‘that formula of Euler’s that generates primes’. I hadn’t heard of this, but it turns out that in 1772 Euler produced this formula: \[ …
aperiodical.com
May 9, 2024 at 4:21 PM
I hadn't realised 41 was so good, but the list up to 10 000 only has one number greater than it that even reaches 10 consecutive primes.
I wonder if it can be beaten?
I wonder if it can be beaten?
Reposted
A quadratic function that generates primes. Will it keep generating primes forever? When will it stop? I explored prime-generating functions and ended up finding a sequence that wasn't in the OEIS - it is now! aperiodical.com/2024/05/prim...
Prime-generating functions
A few weeks ago I heard someone casually refer to ‘that formula of Euler’s that generates primes’. I hadn’t heard of this, but it turns out that in 1772 Euler produced this formula: \[ …
aperiodical.com
May 9, 2024 at 4:08 PM
A quadratic function that generates primes. Will it keep generating primes forever? When will it stop? I explored prime-generating functions and ended up finding a sequence that wasn't in the OEIS - it is now! aperiodical.com/2024/05/prim...