How do we use mathematics to study natural selection? In this article, we will derive equations that will help us to calculate the probability of a gene being passed down in a population. You’ll even get the chance to try these equations out for yourself! Professor Alan Grafen, Tutorial Fellow in Quantitative Biology
Category: Maths
The domino problem
Try your hand at this Maths brainteaser about dominoes!
Algebraic reasoning
Applying algebraic reasoning to solve numerical problems in a real life situation is a key concept in mathematics… Practice your algebraic reasoning with these questions, perfect for GCSE students.
Pythagoras, hexagons and more
Try your hand at these geometry questions from St John’s Maths lecturer Dr Devinder Sivia.
Determining the size of a volcanic eruption using only maths
If I told you that to determine the size of a volcanic eruption all you needed were three important measurements, you’d most likely think I’d lost the plot. Well, there’s a little more to it – aka some amazingly simple maths, but that is exactly how it’s done. Suppose you were given the daunting task…
Meet Dan, 3rd Year Maths
Dan is a third year maths student currently studying at St John’s. Here he talks about discovering maths at an Open Day and some of his favourite things he’s learned so far at university… Produced by Tom Crawford.
Meet Diamor, 1st year Maths
Diamor is a first year maths student currently studying at St John’s. Here he talks about his passion for numbers and some of his favourite things he’s learned so far at university… Produced by Tom Crawford.
Meet Leo, 2nd year Maths
Leo is a second year maths student currently studying at St John’s. Here he talks about when he discovered his interest in maths and some of his favourite things he’s learned so far at university… Produced by Tom Crawford.
Thick and sticky fluids
Viscosity is a property of a fluid on the molecular scale and is a measure of the strength of the internal friction between fluid particles. What this means in practice is that the thicker and stickier the fluid, the higher its viscosity. The task that you have been set by St John’s Maths Tutor Dr…
Fun and games at the circus
See if you can outrun the lions and solve this puzzle from St John’s Maths Tutor Dr David Seifert…
A Tetris puzzle
If you fancy yourself as a Tetris whizz, try your hand at this puzzle set by St John’s Maths Tutor Dr David Seifert… One of the most successful video games of all time is Tetris. There are seven different Tetris pieces: the long piece, the square, the T-piece, two L-pieces and two Z-pieces. Each piece…
Maths in video games
My name is James Hyde and I am a build engineer at the UK’s leading games studio – Creative Assembly (CA) – currently working on several titles – including our brand-new IP! I’ve been with CA for two years now; my first project was Halo Wars 2 (HW2) – the sequel to one of my very…
What’s the best way to win at Monopoly?
Monopoly may have started out as a humble board game in 1935, but it has since evolved into a multi-platform, multi-million dollar titan of the gaming world, appearing on almost every major games console over the last 30 years. The ultimate question then, is how can you improve your chances of winning? Watch the video…
The Game of Life
The Game of Life is one of the simplest video games ever to exist, and yet is one of the most addictive! It’s known as a zero player game as you simply choose your initial layout of black and white squares and then leave the game to evolve over time following a set of four…
Magic money tree
See if you can answer the question below set by St John’s Economics Tutor Dr Kate Doornik… You have been given some magic money. If you plant the money then it will grow into a magic money tree, which will grow more money for you to pick the following year. To be precise, if you…
Mathematicians through history
Try out these fun puzzles on the topic of maths history set by St John’s Maths Tutor Dr Tom Crawford… Puzzle 1 Can you place the (extremely) famous mathematicians below in order of the year that they were born, earliest first? Bonus points for telling me what they studied. Puzzle 2 Below are portraits of…