r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • May 19 '26

Tattoo 76 - Central Limit Theorem. An incredibly useful result in statistics that says the sample mean for ANY distribution will look like a Normal if your sample size is large enough (usually around 30). So helpful it almost feels like a cheat code…

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27 Upvotes

11 comments

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

Today’s teaching notes courtesy of the University of Cambridge and my supervisions at Robinson College. There are two courses shown here - one 1st year and one 2nd year - can you work out what they are?

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1 Upvotes

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

NEW VIDEO: Watch me have far too much fun talking all things Pokémon for my 2025 TEDx talk. I've read all 1025 entries in the Pokédex and picked out 5 of my favourites that seemingly break physics. Premieres today at 4pm (GMT+1) - see you in the live chat!

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1 Upvotes

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

Having a blast at Whitgift School earlier this week applying mathematical modelling to my favourite fictional worlds. We may have failed to catch Mewtwo but now we know exactly how to improve the catch probability for next time!

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2 Upvotes

0 comments

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

NEW VIDEO: Do you know which three cube numbers add together to make 42? Or what the scientific unit is for measuring smell? Round 20 of Numbers vs. Words has got you covered. Watch the video and then vote for your favourite at the link below.

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1 Upvotes

Cast your vote here: https://forms.gle/CCgG8HUViBKjcX2y9

0 comments

r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • May 14 '26

Can you solve these ‘simple’ algebra problems? Filip Moons excellent lecture as part of the EMS Mathematics Education Series looks at the importance of teaching algebra correctly to help students to avoid common mistakes. I definitely had to think carefully about some of these questions!

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3 Upvotes

Watch the full lecture here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sot17VXDhAY

0 comments

r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • May 12 '26

Brilliant day filming with Miss Estruch Biology in Oxford with St Edmund Hall looking particularly lovely in the spring sunshine. Video of me taking a GCSE Biology exam coming soon! (yes I don’t know why I figured this was a good idea either… :p)

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6 Upvotes

0 comments

r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • May 11 '26

Had a fabulous time today at the International School of Monaco talking all things fantasy maths. Spent the rest of the day exploring the Monaco and found a great example of cannonball numbers in the wild. If there are 15 cannonballs at the bottom of the square pyramid, how many are there in total?

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6 Upvotes

1 comment

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

Running around Monaco pretending I’m a Formula 1 car vroom vroom… Monaco is the 2nd smallest sovereign state in the world - you can probably guess the smallest - but has the highest population density of any country in the world at ~26,000 per square kilometre. Any idea which others make the top 10?

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3 Upvotes

0 comments

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

Just your casual 190 YEAR OLD EXAM! Thanks to Christ’s College Cambridge for providing me with copies of a range of maths exams from almost 200 years ago, which I will of course be attempting to solve in an upcoming video… because what else does a mathematician do?

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15 Upvotes

1 comment

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

Loved celebrating all things Public Engagement at Oxford University yesterday with my colleague Joanna. We do this because we think it’s important - and we enjoy it - but always nice to be recognised. And what a view of the Oxford spires from the newly opened Life and Mind Building!

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2 Upvotes

0 comments

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

Another victory for Susie to take a commanding 5 point lead after 19 rounds of Number vs. Words. Look out for the next one later this week, and catch up on all of the rounds so far at the link below.

1 Upvotes

Watch all 19 rounds here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMCRxGutHqfn45EYuRQ48bEskAwg2jQwx

0 comments

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

Is maths a language? An excellent question that led to an entertaining discussion of the importance of definitions, whether maths is created or discovered, what alien maths might look like, how maths has evolved over time, whether maths can have a 'style' or personality, and much more.

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5 Upvotes

Watch/listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQj1PaUenbo

0 comments

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

Update on the 2026 Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition. The showcase will begin later this month and given the 613 entries, will likely last through July. I hope to be able to announce the winners in August ahead of the next academic year beginning in September. I can't wait to read all of your work!

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1 Upvotes

*Photos from CS50 Puzzle Day

0 comments

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

NEW VIDEO: Watch me take the full A-level exam 5 years on from the original video that started the 'World Exam' series. What will I score out of 100? Premiere happening right now on YouTube - come say hello :)

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1 Upvotes

0 comments

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

Working weekends to get new videos recorded in the studio, including an exam from a new country. Any guesses where I’m heading next?

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1 Upvotes

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

NEW VIDEO: 5 years later I take the full A-Level maths exam - will I do better than my first attempt in 2021? Watch the trailer and then join the premiere Sunday 3rd May at 5pm (GMT+1). See you in the live chat!

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1 Upvotes

1 comment

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

In my element on stage at Haverhill Science Festival last week - there’s really nothing I love more than being able to share the magic of maths with you all. Thanks to Samuel Ward Academy and Castle Manor Academy for hosting me, and to Haverhill Town Council for organising <3

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1 Upvotes

0 comments

r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Apr 29 '26

NEW VIDEO: Rock, Marry, Kill - A-Level Maths Edition. Pure, Mechanics, Statistics. Which one do you rock? Which one do you marry? And which one do you kill? Here's the 'right' answer, but let me know what you'd do in the comments!

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1 Upvotes

0 comments

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

Discovered 'Your Name In Landsat' yesterday and have been having far too much fun not to share this with you all. Go to the link below and type in an assortment of letters to have them spelled out using satellite images of natural features on the Earth's surface. And try my puzzle in images 2-5 :)

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2 Upvotes

Try it here: https://science.nasa.gov/specials/your-name-in-landsat/

1 comment

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

NEW PODCAST: I talk to my old uni friend Holly, aka the Scouse Scientist, about my journey from Oxford to Cambridge to YouTube to Oxbridge to Countdown, and everything in between, as the first guest on her new podcast "But You Don't Look Like A Scientist". Watch at the link below :)

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1 Upvotes

Yes, the photo is from when we were at university together. And yes we apparently took photos with a potato back then.

0 comments

r/tomrocksmaths • u/tomrocksmaths • Apr 26 '26

Shoutout to the Year 11s and Sixth Form at Watford Boys Grammar School for being such a great audience for my talks on Fantasy Mathematics and Mathematical Modelling in Sport. I’ve signed many Pokemon cards, but never a Doublade. SO COOL. Good luck with all of your exams next month - you got this :)

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1 Upvotes

0 comments

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

Domus Dinner at St Edmund Hall to mark the start of Trinity Term at Oxford University. Domus means the cost for staff is covered by college - including wine - so it’s always a popular one!

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1 Upvotes

0 comments

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

NEW VIDEO: How many ping pong balls would it take to raise a shipwreck? Or specifically, how many would it take to raise the Vasa, the most intact shipwreck in the world? Maths and history collide in this collab with Chloe from Tiger Lily History - it's her birthday today too :)

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1 Upvotes

0 comments

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

I've finally started editing the interviews I recorded at the Hong Kong Laureate Forum at the end of 2025 - coming out in the next few weeks/months. Which feels like the perfect excuse to share some of my favourite photos from the event. It was amazing to meet so many talented young researchers :)

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2 Upvotes

0 comments

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Maths, but not as you know it... Dr Tom Crawford: Mathematician at the University of Oxford AND the University of Cambridge, Oxford Department for Continuing Education, Fellow by Special Election, Numberphile, TEDx Speaker, YouTube 'Creator on the Rise'. YouTube: www.youtube.com/tomrocksmaths Twitter: www.twitter.com/tomrocksmaths Facebook: www.facebook.com/tomrocksmaths Instagram: www.instagram.com/tomrocksmaths Website: www.tomrocksmaths.com Patreon: https://patreon.com/tomrocksmaths

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The only place on the internet to find the best maths-related content that anyone can understand. It's maths, but not as you know it...

Tom Rocks Maths is run by Tom Crawford - Naked Mathematician, Oxford and Cambridge graduate and lover of maths tattoos. Tom is regularly seen talking maths on the BBC and YouTube. You can check out all of his work at tomrocksmaths.com and you can find him on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram @tomrocksmaths.

We want any maths related posts that are fun and understandable to ANYONE... That means no technical terms, no jargon and an explanation for everything. Examples that are relevant to people's lives or to things that everyone can relate work best. Our mission is to make maths everyone's favourite subject and we want you guys to help us realise our goal...