Despite the headline, this is NOT a 'trillions to one' story (that would be the odds of a pre-specified, named person winning twice). This sort of story is newsworthy, but probability theory says we should expect it to happen every so often - and it does! www.bbc.com/news/article...

I loved performing my Much Ado About Numbers show for Year 10s at the Rose Theatre in Kingston yesterday - a theatre based on the plan of the original @roseplayhouse.bsky.social in Southwark. "Swear not by the moon...That monthly changes in her circled orb" (Romeo & Juliet)

I just needed to use Pythagoras in everyday life! We are using tape to mark up a 3-mens morris board on stage. The board need to be about 2.5m square. How much tape do we need? (I make it ~22 metres).

In her SparxMaths homework, I watch a GCSE pupil being asked to fully expand the expression (3x + 5)^4 . To ensure she doesn't cheat with AI she has to answer correctly online AND write out all her workings on paper. Sorry, this isn't maths, it's five minutes of pointless number-crunching.

Top tip: If you're a bill poster, be careful to get the join in the right place. Apply now for your Klarna "debt card". [seen on LinkedIn]

Was Shakespeare an accountant? TL;DR - yes he probably was. Here's my evidence: abmagazine.accaglobal.com/global/artic...

How numbers permeated Shakespeare's work - an extract from Much Ado just published on the website of @folger.edu: www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...

Today is the day I learned that the LIV Golf tour gets its name from the Roman numerals L I V (= 54). Each tournament has three rounds of 18 holes (=54) and in each round on a par 72 course, if you get a birdie on each hole your score is 54. Top golfing nerdery.

And to finish off the sessions for today, @RobEastaway.bsky.social has found a maths mistake in a late medieval textbook from 1503, showing the early adoption of a new form of arithmetic! robeastaway.com/blog... Grab yourself a copy here: www.peterharrington.... (for a bargain price!)

I was a guest today on Matt Chorley's show on @bbc5live (item starts at around 1hr 37 into the programme), to talk about the importance of maths to the UK economy. Do I get a bonus point for sneaking in a mention of Benford's Law? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

An interaction at yesterday's launch of #MathsWeekEngland at the new MathsWorld venue near London's Bankside. Mum with child: "What do you call the type of maths that's here at MathsWorld?" Me: "It's officially called 'fun and interesting' maths" Mum: "Ooh, we love this sort of maths"

How GCSE exams are killing enrichment. My story won't surprise most teachers, but those outside the school system might be a bit shocked. robeastaway.com/blog/gcse-bl...

I did an interview on The Science Show on Resonance FM Radio, about the fantastic new MathsWorld which formally launches in London this week. The Maths World item starts at about 49:00, link below: www.mixcloud.com/Resonance/th...

With fortuitous good timing, the day after the #CurriculumReview I have an article in the latest issue of the journal Teaching Shakespeare about building links between maths, Shakespeare and Elizabethan History www.britishshakespeare.ws/wp-content/u...

With fortuitous good timing, the day after the #CurriculumReview I have an article in the latest issue of the journal Teaching Shakespeare about building links between maths, Shakespeare and Elizabethan History www.britishshakespeare.ws/wp-content/u...

It turns out Zohran Mamdani is a cricket fan. "He credits cricket with teaching him about unity and how like-minded people can turn rhetoric into reality". sports.ndtv.com/cricket/the-...

It looks like the curriculum review might bring an end to the grammatical term 'fronted adverbial' which seems to have been invented in 2014. Here's the rant I posted about it the day I first heard it 🙂: robeastaway.com/blog/fronted...

ENGLISH TEACHERS! A bursary of up to £1,000 is available for your dept! On 11th Dec I'm putting on my Y10/11 Much Ado show about Shakespeare numeracy and Elizabethan History at Rose Theatre in Kingston-upon-Thames. mathsinspiration.com/much-ado-aut... emailATrobeastawayDOTcom for bursary details

BREAKING NEWS! - The final line up has been announced for the Maths Week England Launch event at MathsWorld, London on Saturday 15th November. An entire day of talks, stalls and mathsy activities - come and join in the fun, you won’t want to miss out. AND - be part of a world record breaking attempt

A handy guide to the 6-7 meme that has become a global phenomenon edition.cnn.com/2025/10/18/u...

Excitingly, Today's the opening day of MathsWorld, the new hands-on maths museum in London. I've really enjoyed visiting MathsCity in Leeds, but they've now got a London location too! Details at mathsworld.com

I'm talking 'Much Ado About Numbers' at the Guildford book festival this evening, 8pm www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk/rob-eastaway

"England have their best chance of winning the World Cup since 1970." Hang on - until 1998 there were only 16-24 teams taking part. In 2026 there will be 48. England's odds are surely longer now than they were in (say) 1990. theguardian.com/football/202... .

A reminder that if you are a primary or secondary school in Southwark, my in-school talks are always free - including short CPD sessions. Details of talks here: robeastaway.com/talks-and-ra...

New blog post! AMR with @jennyrohn.bsky.social, Jane Goodall and John Searle, Ig Nobels, @mathsworld.com with @robeastaway.bsky.social, science and poetry with @samillingworth.com, and The Science Show begins on @resonancefm.bsky.social I think you should read it! tinyurl.com/PubSci-blog-...

I'm looking forward to Inside Maths again! Maths enrichment day, 9 Feb 2026, for year 5 and their teachers, at the Ri, London. Featuring @robeastaway.bsky.social and Fran Watson, hands-on activity and puzzles. Feedback from last year: insidemaths.co.uk/feedback Book here: insidemaths.co.uk/booking

Looking forward to #MathsConf39 on Saturday 11th. My session might be the only one that features Baywatch, Treasure Island and crocodiles, but who knows?

Great to see that @teakayb.mathsy.space is doing a session on history of maths at tomorrow’s #mathsconf39 - such an important and neglected topic.

Rounding off today’s panels with @aqaeducation.bsky.social We're joined by @robeastaway.bsky.social, Sarah Porretta (@youngenterprise.bsky.social), Baroness Spielman, and @schwitzer.bsky.social to discuss what’s needed from the curriculum and assessment system to help every child excel in maths.

Looking forward to #MathsConf39 on Saturday 11th. My session might be the only one that features Baywatch, Treasure Island and crocodiles, but who knows?

Join @robeastaway.bsky.social and our math friends from the Cuboid Math Museum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Wednesday, October 1, at 11 a.m. EDT. We'll gather online for an interactive teacher workshop about math & stories. Register: naturalmath.com/math-maker-n... #iTeachMath #MTBoS #MathSky #MathMakers

Yesterday I visited a Lancashire school who hosted a Year 10 Maths-History-Shakespeare day. It included quizzes, a talk and a 45 minute team DT challenge to build a cardboard replica of The Globe. This was the winner. @englishassociation.bsky.social @histassoc.bsky.social @mathematicala.bsky.social

Exciting news: our two Cambridge shows on 10th December feature @oliverdunk.com who works for Google. A chance for your Y11/12s to discover what's happening at the cutting edge of AI technology. Book here: mathsinspiration.com @cambridgemathshub.bsky.social

Dahlias - the flowers that keep on giving #StillSummer

Today it's sunny AND windy in the UK, and 80% of the UK's energy is currently coming from renewables. #GoodNews

Chuffed to see that my Much Ado pub talk this Wednesday is listed by the excellent @ianvisits.co.uk as one of London's Top Events that day. I'll do my best to live up to the billing. www.ianvisits.co.uk/calendar/dat...

I'll be making Much Ado about Shakespearean numbers at the King's Head near London Bridge, 7pm on 17th Sept. Booking details below.

How to give circle theorems an Art Attack robeastaway.com/blog/art-att...

Shakespeare opened Henry V with some maths. Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh both cut it. Coincidence? Or a cultural fear of numbers? A new blog post www.robeastaway.com/blog/henry-v

MATHS TEACHERS: If you’re seeking ways to add quirky ‘real world’ maths to lessons next year I’ve updated my blog index robeastaway.com/blog/blog-in... . You can use it to find odd applications of (say) quadratic equations. It’s the sort of thing you might use as a lesson starter (1/3) #TMiP25

I'll be doing Much Ado talks at three book festivals this autumn, all on Sundays: * APPLEDORE (Devon) - 14th September appledorebookfestival.co.uk * BURFORD (nr Oxford) - 28th September burfordlitfest.co.uk * GUILDFORD - 19th October www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk

If you believe in building links across the curriculum, and in the joy of learning without needing to be graded for it, 'Exam Nation' is an excellent and refreshing read.

Surprised to see the Guardian using a rather niche cricket metaphor (‘roll the pitch’) in its lead headline www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Hopelessly behind on this, so… 10) Much Ado About Numbers - @robeastaway.bsky.social Very enjoyable tour of Shakespeare’s relationship with maths. Particularly enjoyed the dig at people who think they’ve found ~secret messages~ in his work.

Yesterday I spent a fascinating morning talking maths with a group of GPs. All professions require some level of numeracy, but doctors face particular challenges when communicating mathematical ideas. I've written up a short blog: robeastaway.com/blog/gp-maths

India's captain has called the toss incorrectly 15 times in a row. What are the chances? 1 in 2^15, that's 1 in 32,768. Surely this is the worst run of luck in cricket history. #ENGvsIND

Well done to Colin Beveridge for spotting the #AnagramOfTheYear: Sarina Wiegman = 'I win as manager'

I'll be doing Much Ado talks at three book festivals this autumn, all on Sundays: * APPLEDORE (Devon) - 14th September appledorebookfestival.co.uk * BURFORD (nr Oxford) - 28th September burfordlitfest.co.uk * GUILDFORD - 19th October www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk

Here's the penalty shootout maths that #LucyBronze was talking about: robeastaway.com/blog/penalty...

Aiming straight - a greatly under-used ploy in penalty taking. #SWEENG