Pupil Geet wrote about the recent Maths Inspiration Talks trip:
On Thursday 9th November 2023, 15 pupils from Year 11 attended a Maths Inspiration Talk at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
Year 10-13 pupils from across Lancashire listened to three experienced speakers deliver topics ranging from pollution to artificial intelligence. The host of the lectures, Jen Rogers, enlightened us to field of statistics by presenting data from newspapers and showing us how it can be manipulated to fit their stories.
The first speaker, Rob Eastaway, presented a talk on issues related to the use of AI, specifically Chat GPT, in a unique way through the use of puzzles.
Tom Crawford, an Oxford professor and popular You-Tuber, showed us how we can use mathematics to solve important problems such as how to get rid of water pollution by removing plastic from the ocean.
Finally, the lectures concluded with a talk from the engaging Colin Wright who explained pattens and predictions through the art of juggling. The speakers truly inspired the audience by providing a new perspective to mathematics, showing that if can be more than just an exam to study for.
Pupil Maryam said about the trip: “It was really interesting. It got us thinking about maths in a more practical way, in real life circumstances.
“I think the most interesting talk was the juggler who taught us about maths through juggling.
“It got us thinking about maths in terms of patterns and coding, not just as numbers.”
Tuba said: “It showed us how maths can potentially change the world. For example, how it can be used to tackle the problem of plastic pollution as you can calculate where the most pollution is and then use the machinery to clear the bottom of the ocean there to make the most difference in the world.”
