Maths in Museums

John Dee (1527-1609) was a philosopher and scholar whose work during the Tudor period has been overshadowed by his alleged sorcerous and occultist activities. He is best known for having conversations with angels through his scryer Edward Kelley's interests in astrology, alchemy, calendar reform and suggesting the date for Queen Elizabeth's coronation. What John Dee may not be as well known for is his influence on English navigation and being the first person to coin the term 'British Empire'.

The dome of St Paul's, rising elegantly above London since the cathedral was rebuilt late in the seventeenth century, hides an intriguing early example of the interplay between maths and architecture.

A conversation about mathematics inspired by a set of D&D dice. Presented by Katie Steckles and Peter Rowlett.

The museum of London has a collection of dice, which opens opportunities for exploring mathematical themes such as probability, expectation and fairness.

Bushfires have been in the news a lot in recent years, and there's a wealth of mathematics to be explored as predicting when they may occur and understanding how they spread when they do are key aspects of reducing their impact. Modern techniques and understanding can be used to find out more about historical events such as the Great Fire of London.

This resource offers 6 activities to inspire learning about maths, through art: I helped to proofread these activities, and suggested some updates.

The activity below is the first of four produced for the University of Nottingham's Florence Nightingale Comes Home project. This one delve...

The activity below is the second of four produced for the University of Nottingham's Florence Nightingale Comes Home project. With another ...

The activity below is the third of four produced for the University of Nottingham's Florence Nightingale Comes Home project. Less unwieldy ...

The activity below is the last of four produced for the University of Nottingham's Florence Nightingale Comes Home project. Relatively succ...