Learning Resources

Best suited for Third/Fourth Level and Senior Phase.

Watch the replay of the Code Breaking and Cryptography interactive talk from Maths Week Scotland 2022. Join Katie Chicot and Vicki Brown on a whistle stop tour of historical codes, where you will learn to make and break codes and see how cryptography is used today.

Hosted by the Open University

Best suited for Third/Fourth Level & Senior Phase (age 11-16)

Using Statistics to Monitor Air Pollution - Around 30,000 deaths per year in the UK are linked to air pollution according to government figures. Around the UK, governments and local authorities are increasingly taking action to reduce air pollution levels through schemes which reduce vehicle emissions and encourage the use of public transport, cycling and walking. To target these interventions in the right areas, it is crucial that we can understand which parts of the country are most exposed to pollutants. This talk will explain how statistics is at the heart of this process.

Part of the Royal Statistical Society's William Guy Lecture Series

Best suited for Fourth Level and Senior Phase (age 14+)

Andy White (Heriot-Watt), whose research is focussed on applying mathematics to understand and manage wildlife systems, discusses the plight of red squirrels in the UK, how mathematical models were key tools in understanding the role of invasive grey squirrels, and how mathematics is being used to design forest management plans to conserve the remaining red squirrels in Scotland.

This virtual talk from Maths Week Scotland 2021 was hosted by Heriot-Watt University and International Centre for Mathematical Sciences

Best suited for Fourth Level and Senior Phase (age 14+)

Cathal Cummins (Heriot-Watt), whose research focuses on fluid mechanics of swirls, encompassing problems in biology, renewable energy, and beer, discusses how equations predict the halo vortex and the implications for the flight of nature’s tiniest fliers.

This virtual talk from Maths Week Scotland 2021 was hosted by Heriot-Watt University and International Centre for Mathematical Sciences

Suitable for all levels

Browse our Family Activities section for more maths inspired arts & crafts, games and puzzles. Some are also suitable for the classroom, and others you may want to suggest to your pupils to try at home.