Mathematics
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Beyond class

Approfondissement

Mathematics beyond the curriculum — talks, books, channels and podcasts that expand the picture of what mathematics is and what mathematicians actually do.

Books worth reading

Simon Singh

Fermat's Last Theorem

The story of Andrew Wiles's proof of a 350-year-old conjecture. A compelling account of what mathematical obsession looks like.

Marcus du Sautoy

The Music of the Primes

The Riemann hypothesis and the pattern — or lack of it — in the prime numbers. Accessible without being dumbed down.

Ian Stewart

Professor Stewart's Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities

A collection of puzzles, anecdotes and mathematical ideas. Ideal for dipping into rather than reading front to back.

Jordan Ellenberg

How Not to Be Wrong

Mathematical thinking applied to everyday decisions, lotteries, politics and science. Shows that quantitative literacy matters far outside the classroom.

GH Hardy

A Mathematician's Apology

A short and personal essay on what mathematics is for, written by one of the twentieth century's great mathematicians. Opinionated and worth arguing with.

Eugenia Cheng

How to Bake Pi

Category theory explained through cooking analogies. Remarkably, it works — and it changes how you think about abstraction.

Channels & podcasts

  • 3Blue1Brown

    Visual, intuition-first explanations of topics from linear algebra to the Riemann hypothesis. The "Essence of Calculus" and "Essence of Linear Algebra" series are exceptional.

  • Numberphile

    Short films about interesting numbers and mathematical results, presented by working mathematicians. A gateway to topics not covered in any school curriculum.

  • My Favourite Theorem (podcast)

    Two mathematicians interview other mathematicians about their favourite theorems. Warm, funny, and genuinely interesting — especially if you want to hear what research mathematicians actually think about.

  • Stand-up Maths

    Matt Parker investigates mathematical curiosities, often with practical experiments. Demonstrates that mathematics is an active, playful discipline.

For aspiring mathematicians

UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT)

Challenge papers for Years 7–13, with past papers freely available. The Junior, Intermediate and Senior Challenges are a step up from FSJM and good preparation for ISMTF.

Art of Problem Solving (AoPS)

The standard reference for students aiming at olympiad-level competition mathematics. Textbooks, community forums and thousands of problems from major competitions worldwide.