How Many Penguins
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level
Introduce your pupils to the concept of populations and samples by taking on the role of an Antarctic scientist calculating penguin populations.
Developed by the Royal Statistical Society.
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level
Introduce your pupils to the concept of populations and samples by taking on the role of an Antarctic scientist calculating penguin populations.
Developed by the Royal Statistical Society.
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level
Navigating our World has been developed by the Learning and Engagement Team at Dynamic Earth, with funding from Maths Week Scotland, to highlight the maths in the world around us and relate it to topics such as outer space, map reading, and world history.
In this workshop we give an introduction to navigation; discuss the history and uses of latitude and longitude; visit Edinburgh’s One O’clock Gun and discuss the speed of sound; look at how satellite navigation works; and wrap it all up with a timeline of the entire history of navigation. Ideal for learners working across second-fourth level and can be access in a modular and on-demand way through videos and downloadable resources in your classroom
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level & Senior Phase
Head over to the Careers Carnival for pre-recorded videos of STEM Ambassadors about their careers in maths, engineering and space amongst others! The videos have been developed for secondary-aged pupils but some might also be suitable for P6/P7 pupils.
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level and Senior Phase
Join a video game programmer, actuary, transport planner and academic as they discuss how they use maths in their jobs.
Each video features a maths problem faced by them in their careers to try and solve.
Produced by Francesca Iezzi and Aarol Films.
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level and Senior Phase
Maths skills are at the heart of understanding climate change, understanding people’s responses to climate change and developing solutions – whether those are for preventing climate change, or adapting to it. Learn how you can use the Royal Meteorological Society new Climate Change Concept Tool, to support maths in the curriculum.
Best suited for Third/Fourth Level and Senior Phase
Discover how problem solvers and critical thinkers unpick problems and tackle issues such as climate change and cyber risk, in this series of short videos.
Created by Institute and Faculty of Actuaries
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
Road safety is vital for everyone. Whether we drive or cycle, catch the bus or walk, we are all affected by driving – and the policies surrounding it. How do we therefore decide whether people with long-term medical conditions should be offered driving licenses?
Dr Laura Bonnett, a medical statistician at the University of Liverpool and the Royal Statistical Society’s William Guy lecturer for 2020, will seek to answer this question for people who have had epileptic seizures. Maths concepts covered include probability, percentages, estimates and risk thresholds.
This talk was recorded during Maths Week Scotland 2020.
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.
Suitable for all levels
Check out our Countdown to the Christmas Holidays, for a seasonal mix of maths themed puzzles, games, arts and crafts, and more! Includes activities for all levels. There's a new set of countdown activities for 2023, and the activities from our 2022 countdown are still available too.