On 23^rd January, 40 year 11 students attended a “Maths in Action” conference at the elegant Emmanuel Centre in central London. Around 1000 students from many different schools were present, listening to engaging talks on a number of topics.

The host for the conference, Matt Pritchard, a mathematician and magician, gave an illuminating talk demonstrating how mathematics can be used to create illusion.

Alex Bellos, a mathematician and writer (and who creates puzzles for the Guardian newspaper), challenged students with a number of puzzles designed to mislead.

Dr Emily Grossman, a mathematician and broadcaster, explained how statistics can be misinterpreted, and cited two instances where, having been misled by newspaper articles, she had given incorrect information during live TV appearances.

Alison Kiddle, a mathematician and educator (and a prize winner on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”), showed how probability had helped her win a substantial prize in the game show. She also demonstrated how students could use probability in everyday decision making.

Nicole Cozens, a mathematics educator, gave useful advice on exams – showing common errors and explaining what examiners look for when marking papers.

After a thoroughly entertaining and engaging day, one student commented that “it was the best school trip she had ever been on”.

This event is likely to become a calendar highlight for future year 11 students of the Sacred Heart.

Mr J. Boyle - Maths Department

Maths In Action trip- Shaiyreen Gangatharan 

Some pupils from year 11 were lucky enough to have been chosen for the Maths In Action Trip- visiting the Emmanuel Centre to listen to various maths-related discussions. Every talk was insightful in its own way- providing us with various perspectives on how maths is seen in different areas. Whether this was maths in puzzles or even just understanding GCSE maths exams, it was altogether a very fun experience that we all extremely enjoyed.