The builders have dug a hole in the ground to be filled with concrete for the foundations of our garage. How many cubic metres of ready-mix concrete should the builders order to fill this hole to. . . .
In four years 2001 to 2004 Arsenal have been drawn against Chelsea
in the FA cup and have beaten Chelsea every time. What was the
probability of this? Lots of fractions in the calculations!
Invent scenarios which would give rise to these probability density functions.
Fancy a game of cricket? Here is a mathematical version you can play indoors without breaking any windows.
Given the graph of a supply network and the maximum capacity for
flow in each section find the maximum flow across the network.
This problem opens a major sequence of activities on the mathematics of population dynamics for advanced students.
bioNRICH is the area of the stemNRICH site devoted to the
mathematics underlying the study of the biological sciences,
designed to help develop the mathematics required to get the most
from your. . . .
At what positions and speeds can the bomb be dropped to destroy the
First in our series of problems on population dynamics for advanced students.
An advanced mathematical exploration supporting our series of articles on population dynamics for advanced students.
A ladder 3m long rests against a wall with one end a short distance from its base. Between the wall and the base of a ladder is a garden storage box 1m tall and 1m high. What is the maximum distance. . . .
Chris is enjoying a swim but needs to get back for lunch. If she can swim at 3 m/s and run at 7m/sec, how far along the bank should she land in order to get back as quickly as possible?
How do these modelling assumption affect the solutions?
Why MUST these statistical statements probably be at least a little
See how differential equations might be used to make a realistic
model of a system containing predators and their prey.
This is the section of stemNRICH devoted to the advanced applied
mathematics underlying the study of the sciences at higher levels
Explore the transformations and comment on what you find.
In this article for teachers, Alan Parr looks at ways that
mathematics teaching and learning can start from the useful and
interesting things can we do with the subject, including. . . .
How many eggs should a bird lay to maximise the number of chicks
that will hatch? An introduction to optimisation.
A car is travelling along a dual carriageway at constant speed. Every 3 minutes a bus passes going in the opposite direction, while every 6 minutes a bus passes the car travelling in the same. . . .
PhysNRICH is the area of the StemNRICH site devoted to the mathematics underlying the study of physics
This is about a fiendishly difficult jigsaw and how to solve it
using a computer program.
Second in our series of problems on population dynamics for advanced students.
At Holborn underground station there is a very long escalator. Two
people are in a hurry and so climb the escalator as it is moving
upwards, thus adding their speed to that of the moving steps. . . .
An account of how mathematics is used in computer games including
geometry, vectors, transformations, 3D graphics, graph theory and
If a is the radius of the axle, b the radius of each ball-bearing, and c the radius of the hub, why does the number of ball bearings n determine the ratio c/a? Find a formula for c/a in terms of n.
This article for students introduces the idea of naming knots using numbers. You'll need some paper and something to write with handy!
A brief video explaining the idea of a mathematical knot.
The probability that a passenger books a flight and does not turn
up is 0.05. For an aeroplane with 400 seats how many tickets can be
sold so that only 1% of flights are over-booked?
This is our collection of tasks on the mathematical theme of 'Population Dynamics' for advanced students and those interested in mathematical modelling.
Third in our series of problems on population dynamics for advanced students.
The third installment in our series on the shape of astronomical systems, this article explores galaxies and the universe beyond our solar system.
Edward Wallace based his A Level Statistics Project on The Mean
Game. Each picks 2 numbers. The winner is the player who picks a
number closest to the mean of all the numbers picked.
Fifth in our series of problems on population dynamics for advanced students.
To win on a scratch card you have to uncover three numbers that add
up to more than fifteen. What is the probability of winning a
Sixth in our series of problems on population dynamics for advanced students.
Fourth in our series of problems on population dynamics for advanced students.
What shapes should Elly cut out to make a witch's hat? How can she make a taller hat?
engNRICH is the area of the stemNRICH Advanced site devoted to the mathematics underlying the study of engineering
Work in groups to try to create the best approximations to these
Formulate and investigate a simple mathematical model for the design of a table mat.
Can you suggest a curve to fit some experimental data? Can you work out where the data might have come from?
Simple models which help us to investigate how epidemics grow and die out.
See how the motion of the simple pendulum is not-so-simple after
How do you write a computer program that creates the illusion of stretching elastic bands between pegs of a Geoboard? The answer contains some surprising mathematics.
Learn about the link between logical arguments and electronic circuits. Investigate the logical connectives by making and testing your own circuits and record your findings in truth tables.
How is the length of time between the birth of an animal and the birth of its great great ... great grandparent distributed?