Much Ado About Numbers
Headscratchers
Maths on the back of an Envelope
What is a Googly?
books

Books

I've written or co-written fourteen books, some of which have appeared in several languages. The majority are about the maths of everyday life, but I've also written books on cricket, Shakespeare, memory and creative thinking.

maths-and-puzzles

Maths

I am Director of Maths Inspiration, a national programme of interactive lecture shows in theatres that has reached over 300,000 teenagers in the last twenty years. I'm closely involved with the UK maths community, from primary schools to universities.

talks-and-radio

Talks & Radio

I give talks to adults, teenagers and children that range from small interactive workshops to keynote lectures in front of several hundred. I've also done lots of radio, including numerous appearances on BBC Radio 4's More Or Less, and many podcasts.

Recent Blogs

The Problem With Short Biographies
27 July 26

What I did before I was a 'Mathematician' more...


Making Maths Problems Natural
15 July 26

Sometimes children are put off maths because the questions are unnatural. How can we make maths problems more 'natural'? more...


Adding Up In Your Head
9 July 26

In an age of AI, the ability to do basic arithmetic is still vital more...


Putting the Maths into History
18 May 26

If we want school-leavers to be more numerate, then a small change to the GCSE History syllabus could be a big help. more...


GP Maths Problems
8 May 26

Real world maths problems are messier than GCSE questions - and GPs have to deal with them every day. more...


There's a problem...
4 February 26

Exams are designed to test mathematical problem-solving, but they often inadvertently strip away the features that make real world problem-solving so valuable. more...


A Blog Index
2 September 25

Use this to find blog posts that relate to particular maths topics more...


Rob on Bluesky