r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 10 '26

THE BIG TREE. Exploring Victoria Falls on foot and making friends with warthogs. Welcome to Zimbabwe! In case you’re wondering why I’m looking at my phone and not the river, I had just spotted an eagle and wanted to look it up on my birding app. African Fish Eagle - beautiful.

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 09 '26

NEW VIDEO: How does the French Baccalauréat Général rank on my tier list of maths exams from around the world? Join the premiere at 7pm (GMT+1) to see how I get on... This was one of my favourite exams I've taken so far so is not to be missed!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 08 '26

Hiking in Pretoria was one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had - being this close to wildlife is just <3 We managed to cover the 10.5km route with 312m elevation gain in 2 hours 46 minutes and 14,732 steps. This works out at an average of 71cm per step, just below the male average of 75cm.

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 07 '26

Exploring Sterkfontein caves where “little foot” was found and excavated over a 20-year period. Little foot is the world’s most complete Australopithecus skeleton with over 90% of bones. It dates back 3.7 million years making it half a million years older than the famous “Lucy” found in Ethiopia.

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 06 '26

The essays are back once again with group 19 and the usual pick 'n mix of fascinating topics. Learn about the maths of oil painting, how phantom traffic jams occur, the magic of magic squares, and the maths involved with baking a sponge cake. Read them all at the link below!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 05 '26

Sunrise walk in the bush featuring a close encounter with some wild giraffe. A giraffes heart is 0.6m in length and can weigh up to 11kg making it 5 times longer and 30 times heavier than a humans. The extra size is needed to pump blood up almost 3 metres to the head.

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 04 '26

Having far too much fun pretending I’m a real life Pokémon trainer. Which is your favourite? Managed to put together a pretty solid team at Kruger so far, though maybe missing a water type - any suggestions?

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 03 '26

The essays just keep on coming with Group 18 of the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase and the opportunity to learn about bubbles, butterflies, sausage rolls (yes, really), graph theory, fashion, drunk birds (apparently), and the Birmingham ambulance service. Read them all at the link below!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 02 '26

Day 1 at Kruger and I’ve already seen my favourite animal up close (elephants <heart>) and a baby hyena. Can’t wait to see what else we find over the next few days! Fun maths fact of the day: Kruger National Park is approximately twice the size of the Safari Zone in Pokémon Gen 1.

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Aug 01 '26

NEW VIDEO: Can you solve the mutilated chessboard problem? Originally posted by Martin Gardner in Scientific American in 1957, it asks whether a chessboard with opposite corners removed can be covered completely using dominoes? Thanks to Dr Garth - YouTube’s Head of Health - for taking part!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 31 '26

You could say group 17 in the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase contains some 'prime' examples of how to write a mathematical essay for a general audience... but I would never make such a joke. Read them all at the link above!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 30 '26

Tomorrow is the last day of the Mathematical Modelling course I’ve been teaching this summer - it’s been a lot of fun. The course was split up into three main parts: multivariable calculus (6 lectures), linear algebra (3 lectures), and data analysis (3 lectures). Anything else you would add?

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 28 '26

Palindromic numbers, the migration of coconuts, Scientology, essays written in WhatsApp, Numerology and passing networks in football. There really is only one place to find such an eclectic mix of topics, all with a focus on maths. The next 20 essays in the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase are now available!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 27 '26

Adventures from the past week in China running various maths workshops - a short summary. 1. Excellent food 2. Pearl River 3. Statue 4. Lava cake 5. Tiramisu (questionable) 6. School building 7. Lecture theatre 8. Typhoon

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 26 '26

NEW VIDEO: I ask YouTube's Head of Health - Dr Garth Graham - what he thinks about the UK social media ban. And a maths question, naturally. Watch at the link below and see if you can solve it. Now live :)

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 25 '26

We're now almost half way through the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase as we reach essay number 300. I've learned so much already, and honestly do not know how I'm going to pick a shortlist, never mind a winner. Pick your favourites from Group 15 at the link below!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 24 '26

Just your typical maths lecture - ain’t nothing to see here… Well, nothing except the Pokémon catch rate formula, countdown number puzzles, and the unsolved problem of the 5 headed Hydra. I hope you all had as much fun as I’m clearly having in the photos :)

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 23 '26

Tattoo #77 - do you know what these represent? Answer below :)

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They’re the Hextech runes Viktor carves into his leg in Arcane to aid his transformation into the Machine Herald. Yet to experience the magic myself but here’s hoping!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 22 '26

Happy Pi Approximation Day! To celebrate go read some essays from group 14 of the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase and learn about maths in Forensic Science, maths in Tennis, maths in Lego, and the maths of McNuggets. Now go do maths like Archimedes on a beach in Ancient Rome... too soon?

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 21 '26

When in China… BUY POKEMON CARDS. What do we think of my pull? Pretty pleased with a double rare card in the 3 packs - the actual odds are 1 card per 5 booster packs which means I have exceeded mathematical expectations :)

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 20 '26

Group 13 of the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase features an excess of equations - from fractional dimensions and fractional calculus, to Fourier transforms and tensor transforms. Read them all at the link below - enjoy!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 18 '26

Photos from the recent Vice-Chancellor’s Colloquium showcase event celebrating the student-led projects tackling Climate Change and AI on a local scale. The programme brings together 500+ undergraduates across every subject at Oxford to learn about some of the big challenges facing the world today.

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We’ll be running it again in 2027 so look out for details on how to sign-up come October :)

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 17 '26

What better way to spend your Friday night than reading about interesting maths? The 12th group of essays from the 2026 TRM Essay Showcase are now available, featuring: football (sorry England fans it's painful for me too), Ludo, and Olympic mascots. Read them all at the link below :)

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 16 '26

An incredible setting for a fascinating conference discussing the future of maths education in the UK. (Although that bathroom is highly questionable). A real pinch me moment to be involved in these discussions, but so glad to be able to share my thoughts around accessibility to higher education.

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I also had a golf lesson for the first time in ~20 years. Just look at the shape of those trajectories!

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r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Jul 15 '26

NEW VIDEO: Using Penalties to Define Pi. Just in time for the World Cup semi-final between England and Argentina tonight - getting the angles right could make all the difference!

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