POV: you’re the last one on the mountain The perfect end to a perfect week on the mountain. 310 km covered across 6 days, with more than 50,000 metres of descent, and a top speed of 60 kmph. Lots of data for me to analyse on the flight home :)

NEW VIDEO: Start 2026 in the best way possible with the latest round of Numbers vs. Words: Googol from Dr Tom versus Welsh rarebit from @susiedentwords.bsky.social. Which do you prefer - the largest named number, or Welsh cheese on toast? Vote here: forms.gle/WpNjAQZbnEaL...

And the number 1 post for Tom Rocks Maths in 2025 is... the TRM Essay Competition!! Running now for 6 years, with over 1000 essays submitted to date, the TRM Essay Competition gives YOU the chance to showcase your passion for mathematics and win prizes. Lookout for the 2026 launch in February :)

The perfect way to end the year = on the mountain. We managed to cover 55 km today over 7 hours, with an average speed of 22 kmph. What proportion of the time was spent skiing (as opposed to queuing and travelling on lifts)?

The 2nd most popular page on Tom Rocks Maths in 2025 is... Interns! I love working with students to produce maths communication material and the Micro-internship Programme at Oxford is the perfect setup. 1 week to learn the ropes and produce content. Top posts here: tomrocksmaths.com/2025/12/26/2...

The 3rd most popular on Tom Rocks Maths in 2025 is... Tattoos. I've posted short explanations of 66 of them so far, with at least that many more to come. Check out the gallery for yourself here: tomrocksmaths.com/tattoos/

The 4th most popular Tom Rocks Maths post in 2025 is... Countdown! Possibly the most ridiculous/incredible thing that has ever happened to me, and one of your favourites from 2025. I spent 3 weeks covering for Rachel Riley as the resident mathematician and I loved every second <3

The countdown of the top posts from 2025 begins with #5 - Robinson College Cambridge. From announcing my fellowship, to recording a mock admissions interview, you've been enjoying seeing me in the 'other place' over the past 12 months! Find them here: tomrocksmaths.com/2025/12/26/2...

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all the wonderful Maths Fans around the world!! Here's a fun mathematical puzzle to think about whilst you wait for Santa - how many legs are mentioned in the song the 12 days of Christmas (the "partridge in a pear tree" one)? Watch below for my answer :)

YouTube wrapped 2025. Thank you to all of you wonderful people for continuing to support maths education on social media. Here's to the next 3,209 days :)

Exploring theatres - amphi or otherwise - in Carthage. The semi-circular shape and combination of the hard stone with strategically placed curtains and canvases provided the perfect acoustics so actors could be heard across the audience. Mathematical planning from 2000 years ago - incredible.

NEW VIDEO: I have fun applying some mathematical analysis to my performance on Mini Cogs - play the game yourself for free here: cogs.gg?WT.mc_id=tmg...

Tunis Medina - a UNESCO world heritage site since 1979. Following on from Dido’s Isoperimetric Problem yesterday, given the Medina is approximately semi-circular, and the distance across is ~1.1km, how long would Dido’s rope need to be to surround it?

Visiting the home of Dido’s Isoperimetric Problem in Carthage, Tunisia. Given a piece of rope of fixed length, what shape should it be to maximise the area contained? Legend has it this is why the ancient city of Carthage was a circle. Love teaching this in the Calculus of Variations course :)

Tattoo #66 - Volcano Badge (fresh vs healed). Awarded for defeating the leader of the 7th Kanto gym Blaine. Dude loves his fire Pokémon…

Meet your Oxford University maths interviewers this week (including the CS50 duck). Good luck to everyone taking part in the admissions process and remember to enjoy it as much as you can :) Swipe to see an example maths interview question - would you get in?

The closest vote so far in Numbers versus Words, but 2592 = 2^5 * 9^2 sneaks it as the only 4-digit number with the Dudeney property, despite a lot of appreciation for the existence of Uhtcearu as a word to describe pre-dawn anxiety... Look out for Round 14 later this week :)

Aston Martin F1 End of Season Party 2025- happy holidays to maths fans everywhere :)

One of my favourite events of the year at Maths in Action London - almost 1000 A-level students and I got to sign an actual game boy and a Blastoise Pokémon card. What dreams are made of <3

Meet your maths interviewers @robinsoncollege.bsky.social for 2026 entry at Cambridge University. Best of luck to anyone going through the admissions process - we’re all rooting for you!! Swipe to the second photo to see an example interview question I used a few years ago… can you solve it?

Happy GCHQ Christmas Puzzle Day!! Swipe to see close-ups of the puzzle questions and information on where to find the solutions - let’s go maths fans :)

Thanks for coming out Cambridge - we had a blast!! Great audience, great speakers and even greater maths. Hope to see even more of you at the upcoming Maths Inspiration shows in the spring :)

NEW VIDEO: Birthdays on Pluto. A great extension to the original Numberphile video on the Birthday Paradox - what happens if we are on Pluto? A 3rd new video in 3 days for you lucky maths fans :)

NEW VIDEO: The Future of AI Research with David Silver (2019 ACM Prize) David explains how AI learns, and what it means for future developments in the field. Premieres today at 18:00 (GMT) - see you in the live chat!

NEW VIDEO: A special Numberphile video for a special day - enjoy!

Congratulations to these brilliant students for completing the Intermediate Calculus course @oxlifelonglearning.bsky.social over the past 10 weeks. If you'd like to join one of my online classes at Oxford University, click the link below to find out more: tomrocksmaths.com/2025/12/05/o...

Thanks to all 700+ of you for coming to Maths in Action today at Warwick Arts Centre and letting me talk about Pokemon on stage. Pikachu sends hugs :)

NEW VIDEO: Numbers vs. Words Round 13 - Dudeney's Number versus pre-dawn anxiety. Which is your favourite - 2595 from Dr Tom or Uhtcearu from Susie Dent? Cast your vote here: forms.gle/pmZDe4wAcm9G...

What a weekend at the Qatar Grand Prix - Alonso scoring points and Metallica headlining. My mathematical brain was in its element thinking about the aerodynamics of the cars, the mathematical connotations of the championship race, and the beautiful patterns of the guitar riffs. We <3 maths!

Final hike in Oman to the breathtaking Wadi Nakhr - swipe to see video footage of some rather sketchy climbs… A total of 51.42 km covered in 12 hours 53 minutes across 3 separate treks. Is the average velocity above or below 4 km/h? Try to estimate first before checking on a calculator!

So much to see in Muscat - from the old town forts and palace, to the Royal Opera House and Grand Mosque. The population has exploded in the last 75 years from only ~10,000 in 1950 to 1.7 million in 2025, an average increase of 22,500 per year which continues today. Crazy.

Great to be back underwater, and what a place to do it! Daymaniyat Islands off the coast of Oman - simply stunning. Pressure is inversely proportional to volume and doubles approximately every 10m. If I’m diving at a depth of 20m, how much space does 100 cm^3 of air on the surface now take up?

NEW VIDEO: Watch a real example of what an undergraduate admissions interview at the University of Cambridge is like. Can you solve any of the questions? Premieres today at 5pm (GMT) - see you in the live chat! Best of luck to anyone being interviewed next month - we're all rooting for you :)

Exploring the sights in Oman: Jabreen Castle, Nizwa Souq, and Bahla Fort. Human habitation here stretches back over 100,000 years - the half way point between today and the emergence of the Homo Sapiens species ~200,000 years ago.

The most votes in a round so far leads to another well-deserved win for @susiedent.com and the "lost positives". Words now have a potentially unassailable lead at 8-4 so I'd better bring my prime game to the next few rounds if Numbers are going to catch up... new video coming soon!

Highest point in Oman at 3018m - WHAT A VIEW. Not quite 500 miles, but 24.5 km covered in 7 hours makes one tired Tom. Now to go lie down… Well done to those of you that guessed Oman from yesterday’s post, excellent detective work :)

You all seemed to enjoy this last time, so can you guess where I am? Canyons, desert, and goats galore. Answer to be revealed tomorrow :)

NEW VIDEO (from Dr Zye): Can You Draw Every Flag in Powerpoint? The winning essay from the 2025 Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition has been turned into a video - and it's one of the best things I've ever seen. Go watch now.

Such a fun day of filming with an actual green screen (so much better than my attempts) on an exciting new project! Looking forward to sharing the outcome with you all over the next few months :)

Happy Maths Week England!! It’s been a busy few days travelling across the country to reach as many students - and teachers - as possible to celebrate all things maths. From Mario vs Sonic, to Pokemon in space, maths is everywhere. Search Maths Week England to find events happening near you :)

Tattoo #65 - Leaf Badge. I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the maths of Pokémon the last few weeks on the road, as well as writing about the game for my upcoming book, so this feels like a highly appropriate post. I make it 5 Kanto badges posted so far, which means 3 more to come :)

Had a great time at Scarisbrick Hall School today talking million-dollar equations and mathematical modelling in sport with years 7-13 (look how excited they are in the last photo!). And what a beautiful building for a school - definite Hogwarts vibes <3

Tom Rocks Maths going international with a recent article in Dutch newspaper Trouw about the use of mathematical modelling in sports including rowing, running, football, basketball and cricket. Translated version available at the link below - enjoy! tomrocksmaths.com/2025/11/16/t...

NEW VIDEO: Numbers vs. Words Round 12 - Ruthful vs. 117 billion. Lost positives from @susiedent.com versus the number of humans that have ever lived from Dr Tom. Vote for your favourite here: forms.gle/83C1LHbqUw6r...

Some highlights from the past few days: Maths in Action London; YouTube learning roundtable at Google UK; and inspiring future mathematicians at the Norfolk Maths Symposium in Norwich. I love this job <3

A final Sri Lanka appreciation post full of tea, waterfalls, and a sweaty mid-run Dr Tom. Sri Lanka is the world’s 4th largest producer of tea, with China topping the charts at 10x the amount. World production is 30 million tonnes, SL and China together account for 55%, so how much does SL produce?

Are you even a tourist in Sri Lanka if you don’t take the train ride across the mountains to Ella? Simply breathtaking. It took 7 hours and 20 minutes to travel from Nanu Oya to Colombo at an average speed of 28 kmph. How long is the railway? Try it without a calculator for a challenge :)

Behind the scenes of the recording session with @tomrocksmaths.bsky.social for the @twinklresources.bsky.social "Leading With" podcast today where Tom shared his insights into engaging people in maths as well as what he learned from sitting GCSE exams and deputising for Rachel Riley on Countdown!

Loved catching up with Prof. Alison Martingano and talking about how to overcome maths anxiety on the Psychology & Stuff podcast at UWGB. We went to the same high school but hadn't seen each other in 20 years... amazing to reconnect after all this time! Listen here: soundcloud.com/rycmart/ep-1...

Linguistic Fossils take the win over the Birthday Problem - well done again to @susiedent.com Keep a lookout for a full video explaining the Birthday Problem and 23 - coming soon :) In the meantime you can catch up on all 11 rounds of "Numbers vs Words" so far here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jev...