On Wednesday 13 October 2021, Mr Carmichael and Mrs Pennington from our Maths Faculty accompanied five Year 11 pupils (and a parent each) to a lecture by Professor Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University.

The lecture was organised by the Cirencester Science and Technology Society and given at the Royal Agricultural University.

Mrs Pennington (Head of Maths) said “I really hope this opportunity has inspired the pupils” which it appears to have done as these pupils, who are studying GCSE Additional Maths, said:

“I really enjoyed sitting in on my first lecture about one of my favourite subjects – Maths! It was a captivating talk which explored the side of Maths applicable to the real world – the art of shortcuts. It was a great experience and I am very grateful to have been invited to the lecture. Definitely a subject I will be learning more about.”  (Tamsin)

“Really interesting, makes you wonder what else there is to be discovered in the world of Mathematics.”  (Bertie)

“The talk about shortcuts was fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the references to nature and learning how different species utilise Maths to endure an easier way of life. His experiences really added to the interest of this topic.”  (Charlotte)

“I found the lecture interesting especially when they mentioned that there is no formula to calculate a prime number. It further developed my interest in Maths, learning how there are problems that cannot be solved with a shortcut. It made me realise that Maths is all around us.” (Chloe)

“The lecture was great! Explaining the ‘Art of the Shortcut’ and the use of AI in Mathematics was fascinating. I can’t wait to explore shortcuts again.” (Joe)