Peter Rowlett

So fortunate to have a big, national maths education conference just a short walk through the park from home. So many fab sessions to choose from, looking forward to an interesting day! #BCME10

Chatting with my son I casually said “there’s no such thing as subtraction” and he rolled his eyes and said “I know, it’s the additive inverse”. 🤣 He didn’t get that language from me - apparently this was said in a recent class. Q: is it usual to meet this language/idea in year 7? #MathsToday

I explained how if you combine an element and its inverse you get the identity, what an identity is, and also how this explains why +/- and ×/÷ have the same priority in the order of operations. I also explained all this to my undergrad group theory class this week.

Just left me wondering whether his teacher was taking a particularly rigorous approach or whether this is standard.

Yesterday’s first-year undergrad problem-solving class. Tiered problems with parts (a), (b), (c). Task is to solve, then write part (d). I say “I’m not setting these because I want these specific answers” & “What’s important is what can we do next with what we’ve learned by solving these problems”.

I’ve taught this exact class for years, but yesterday as I was introducing the activity what boiled over and came out of my brain was a little ramble about #genAI companies announcing solutions to maths problems. #MathsToday

Incredible work

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Peter Rowlett reposted

finitegroup.co.ukFinite GroupFinite Group is a collective of cool maths people who want to have nice conversations about mathematical ideas.

Would you like to watch monthly livestreams of people chatting about interesting maths? You can join our Finite Group community from £4 a month and get a monthly livestream, membership of our Discord chat and bonus freebies! Next livestream is this Sunday 11th Oct! Details at finitegroup.co.uk

talkingmathsinpublic.ukTalking Maths In Public - Podcast

When I visit schools in my home town of Nottingham for maths activities, I offer topics related to the history of the city, but schools usually choose modelling, cryptography, etc. I ask @teakayb.mathsy.space why there isn’t more interest in the local connection and what schools are looking for.

Peter Rowlett reposted

Tommaths (he/him)

@teakayb.mathsy.space

If two people discussing the place of #history (& #museums) in #maths education is your bag, you'll like Episode 4 of the @tmip.bsky.social podcast. @peterrowlett.net & I take the middle segment, sandwiched between one about the #CityOfMaths project & another about running a @mathsjam.bsky.social

talkingmathsinpublic.ukTalking Maths In Public - Podcast

aperiodical.comAperiodical News Roundup – August/September 2026Here’s a round-up of some news from the last couple of months.

routledge.comGame Theory and Recreational Mathematics: A Playful Approach to Problem Solving and InquiryGame Theory and Recreational Mathematics views mathematics through a lens of puzzles and games, with a strong focus on creative problem solving. The book sets the scene for discrete mathematics by int...

Such a wonderful time-saver and great research tool, these #genAI chatbots. 🙄

Peter Rowlett reposted

Tommaths (he/him)

@teakayb.mathsy.space

I've got one copy of *The Mathematicians' Library* to give away in each of four languages: Polish, German, Japanese, and Spanish. I'm offering them for free (including UK postage) & I'd like them to go somewhere that'd make good use of them. If you think *your* organisation or group would...

Peter Rowlett reposted

Fabstract Nonsense

@alexcorner.bsky.social

15 Sept

We wrote a book!

Peter Rowlett@peterrowlett.net

My forthcoming book with @alexcorner.bsky.social has a cover!

15 Sept

My forthcoming book with @alexcorner.bsky.social has a cover!

mathsjam.comMathsJam UK Gathering | MathsJam

15 Sept

It's a textbook based on our module Game Theory and Recreational Mathematics, covering logic, sets, groups, combinatorics, graph theory and combinatorial game theory through the lens of puzzles and games. It puts problem solving at the heart of mathematical practice. Check it out!

Peter Rowlett reposted

Matthew Scroggs

@mscroggs.co.uk

9 Sept

I finally remembered to but my ticket for this year's @bigmathsjam.bsky.social today. If you've not been before, it's an excellent weekend of maths fun and you should definitely come. Details and ticket booking at mathsjam.com/gathering/uk/.

24 Aug

Went to the Boole memorial in Lincoln. Boole is teaching two children some logic. One has a slate labelled “ALICIA”, his daughter’s name. Any ideas why the other is labelled “TAD”? (It amused me that while Tad is copying from the board, Alicia, who became a 4D geometer, is drawing some geometry.)

faropen.co.ukAntony Dufort

24 Aug

Following a suggestion from @vam103@mathstodon.xyz on Mastodon I got to this… Tad is the sculptor’s son! “My son Tadeusz and his friend Freya modelled as the two pupils for the sculpture.” faropen.co.uk/artists-and-...

5 Aug

The new issue of The Mathematical Gazette has arrived! My second as editor. 😁 My editorial discusses what the journal is about and who reads it. It and six other articles from the issue are free to read online here: www.tandfonline.com/toc/tmgz20/1... @amiemathematics.bsky.social

27 July

You can trust quality that’s built on careful attention to detail.

23 July

I continue to wonder about utility of #genAI. I gave Claude some text I wrote and asked it to find and add suitable references. In the response it gave some warnings that straight-up assumed I am a student cheating on an assignment. 🤯

22 July

Not exactly showing the power of the Approximation Day Bot, but it’s a biggy. Question is: what happens on the other days of the year? The answer is silliness - give it a follow and find out!

Happy Approximation Day@happyapproxday.bsky.social

Happy π Approximation Day!

19 July

My son got a calculator for secondary school in the autumn, so we took it for a test. He drew a series of triangles and measured the sides, then worked out their ratios and plotted them. Then we tried some other buttons on the calculator and discovered sin, cos and tan make the same values! #tmwyk

aperiodical.comMathematical Objects Podcast – list of episodesKatie Steckles and Peter Rowlett chat about some aspect of mathematics using a mathematical object as inspiration. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Spotify | RSS. All episodes are available un…

17 July

Heading home from my last school visit of the year. Since Sept 25 I have delivered 10 events on campus, visited 9 schools & done 1 online talk, to over 1300 students from years 7-13. A mixture of maths careers talks & workshops on modelling, problem solving, cryptography, games and history of maths.

Take note, everyone.

If you're looking for somewhere to start, the top episodes by downloads of Mathematical Objects are: 1. Low bridge sign with Adam Townsend 2. Mathematics in Theory and Practice, edited by Warwick Sawyer 3. Fingers with Ben Orlin 4. A sheep, at least one side of which is black 5. Towers of Hanoi

3 July

What is The Mathematical Gazette about? Who is it for? I discuss this, drawing on words from previous editors, in my editorial for the new issue. Free to access here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

2 July

What on earth happened here? This is earlier today. I was at a bus stop in a village about 7.5 miles from Nottingham and asked Google Maps for public transport directions to Nottingham.

Association for Mathematics in Education

2 July

It suggested getting a ride 99% of the way there, then getting a train to 9.6 miles from Nottingham, then walking back! Obviously a glitch, but what happened? (We got the bus which took half an hour.)

Peter Rowlett reposted

@amiemathematics.bsky.social

17 June

Can you solve this puzzle? Robin McLean explores the algebra of constructing puzzles like this in a new #openaccess article in The Mathematical Gazette. Read here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Peter Rowlett reposted

finitegroup.co.ukFinite GroupFinite Group is a collective of cool maths people who want to have nice conversations about mathematical ideas.

16 June

Next Thursday 25th June, I'm doing a livestream with @Ayliean.bsky.social about aperiodic tilings - we'll be chatting about substitution tilings and matching rules, and chatting about the recent #BeachSpectres project! If you'd like to watch, simply join our Finite Group community: finitegroup.co.uk

aperiodical.comParticularly mathematical Birthday Honours 2026The UK Government have announced the new set of King’s Birthday Honours. Here’s our selection of particularly mathematical entries for this year. If you spot any more, let us know in the comments a…

15 June

Particularly mathematical Birthday Honours 2026 #MathsToday

ima.org.ukMathematical Gazetteer of the British IslesWhat do you do to find places to visit when travelling? Consult a guidebook? Search Google Maps? Look at reviews on TripAdvisor? Early in my career, when

12 June

Ooo, my piece has appeared online here Mathematical Gazetteer of the British Isles David Singmaster's Gazetteer, Green's Windmill, and more. #MathsToday

Peter Rowlett@peterrowlett.net

Maths on Holiday - new issue of the IMA members’ magazine, in which I wrote about David Singmaster’s Gazeteer, Green’s Windmill, that time Sam Hansen came to town, etc.

11 June

Maths on Holiday - new issue of the IMA members’ magazine, in which I wrote about David Singmaster’s Gazeteer, Green’s Windmill, that time Sam Hansen came to town, etc.

8 June

Quick update from #BeachSpectres from @ayliean.bsky.social - join Finite Group for free to access the video. patreon.com/posts/beach-...

tandfonline.comOptimal play in ‘Guess Who?’We prove an optimal strategy for the children's game Guess Who? assuming the official rules are in use and that both players ask ‘classical’ questions with bipartite responses. Applying a technique...

1 June

Optimal play in ‘Guess Who?’ #openaccess in The Mathematical Gazette Suggests using questions with an embedded paradox to produce three responses from your opponent - yes, no, or argh paradox head explodes - allowing you to narrow down the suspects more quickly. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

1 June

The authors say their optimal strategy uses nothing "more advanced than induction and a recursion relation based on elementary probability... Hence Guess Who? could guide an introduction to #GameTheory to interested students through a ‘real-world’ game." #MathsToday #ALevelMaths #MTBoS #ITeachMath

shuoutreach.comExploring Maths Experience DayMaths has always been a vital tool to understand the world around us, as well as a playful and creative way to engage our curiosity. Come along to our Exploring Maths days to glimpse the world that…

21 May

Teachers! We're running a day of year 12 maths workshops on 25th June on campus in Sheffield city centre. Bring a group? They'll see the university campus and enjoy taking part in maths workshops run by university lecturers. shuoutreach.com/event/explor... #MathsToday #AlevelMathematics

tandfonline.comWhy do disjoint cycles commute? Or, why do mathematicians not like horsies and doggies?by Douglas Hofstadter

12 May

Could we rely more on everyday intuitions when thinking about abstract ideas? Does the formalism seen when teaching match how mathematicians think about mathematics? Letters to the editor in response (in support or arguing against!) are welcome via gazette@amie.org.uk

Association for Mathematics in Education@amiemathematics.bsky.social

Free paper available from The Mathematical Gazette: Why do disjoint cycles commute? Or, why do mathematicians not like horsies and doggies? by Douglas Hofstadter, author of 'Gödel, Escher, Bach' - which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1980. Read it here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

Peter Rowlett reposted

Association for Mathematics in Education

@amiemathematics.bsky.social

12 May

tandfonline.comWhy do disjoint cycles commute? Or, why do mathematicians not like horsies and doggies?by Douglas Hofstadter

6 May

Just spotted a new edition of the Comprehensive LaTeX Symbols List has been published and it contains my package customdice! ctan.org/pkg/comprehe...

30 Apr

Went to Green’s Windmill this evening for a members’ event. All wrapped up for major repairs to redo the cap and sails. Visitor numbers understandably down this year. Donations to help welcome: www.greensmill.org.uk/support-us/d...

21 Apr

My son (10)’s homework asked him for two common multiples of 3 and 4. He put 12 and 0. It marked him wrong. Unsure how to feel about that.

13 Apr

I’m on my way to give a talk to Sheffield U3A’s Science & Technology Group, about board games through the ages with a bit of game theory thrown in.

11 Apr

In London for this. Looking forward to meeting readers, authors and reviewers of The Mathematical Gazette.

Association for Mathematics in Education@amiemathematics.bsky.social

Today is our AMiE Member Day event! Our three keynote sessions will be video recorded and shared with all AMiE members in due course. A big shout out to @aqaeducation.bsky.social who are the headline sponsor for this event, as well as to our other exhibitors and sponsors.

7 Apr

The first issue of The Mathematical Gazette with me as Editor has arrived in the post! Non-subscribers can read my editorial (and some other papers in this issue) for free at www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... #MathsToday #MTBoS #ITeachMath

Peter Rowlett reposted

3 Apr

Replying to @steckl.es

Even better news: for this month only, the Finite Group is even more finite! If you sign up for a paid membership in April, you can get a 50% discount on your first month using the code 3VMFN. You'll get this month's stream, plus the last three months of recordings, AND a crossnumber. Bargain!

Peter Rowlett reposted

youtube.comFinite Group - Highlights Video 2026Finite Group is a collective of cool maths people who want to have nice conversations about mathematical ideas. Join our community to support and participate in our live monthly-ish video chats, as…

2 Apr

If anyone would like to join our online maths community, it's free to join our Discord chat, and we have paid memberships at £4/mo which get you access to monthly livestreams/recordings of fun 1-hour maths chats! Here's a video showing some clips from recent streams: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CveA...