Mathematics – Heritage – Education
“… a guest post from museum educator and mathematician Tom Briggs, about his session at last August’s Talking Maths in Public conference.”
Tags: mathematics, MathsComm, museums, writing
I am very pleased, not to mention flabbergasted, to announce that The Mathematicians’ Library won both categories: it was picked from the shortlist as the editors’ favourite, and received just shy of 50% of the Readers’ Choice votes with 236 out of 475 choosing it as their prime pick of 2025.
For a special edition of The Mathematicians Podcast, host Ben Cornish invited me to join him in conversation about my similarly-titled book, The Mathematicians’ Library.
“… if you get the chance to flick through a copy in a library or bookshop you will find your attention constantly being captured by a piece of mathematical history or a page from a book that you have heard of but never seen before”
– Chalkdust Editors
Tags: book, history, mathematics, MathsComm, writing
Next time you’re in a museum, gallery, library, or archive, keep an eye open for these mathematical themes!
Tags: blogpost, galleries, libraries, mathematics, MathsComm, museums, National Numeracy, online, writing
“The resource uses a story-first approach to promote richer experiences and telltale signs that maths is nearby, and highlights things that have been found to be necessary prerequisites for creating any type of maths-focused resource.”
Tags: archives, education, galleries, libraries, mathematics, MathsInMuseums, museums, online, ResourceDevelopment, resources
I presented my book, The Mathematicians’ Library, at the CILIP Unconference on October 3, 2025, to a receptive audience of library professionals. I shared my writing motivations and favorite stories, leading to about half the attendees purchasing a copy. The event had a packed schedule of engaging activities.
Tags: libraries, mathematics, MathsComm, talk
Far from an academic “maths book”, it is a book about maths; about the role that this most ancient of human endeavours has played in the development of humanity, and where its achievements have prompted – and been prompted by – growth in disciplines that many people in the modern world see as entirely separate.
Tags: books, history, mathematics, MathsComm, publications, research, writing
I was briefed to write a page on the subject of maths in museums, and how the objects and artworks they hold relate to our understanding of maths. That’s right up my street!
Tags: Art Quarterly, MathsComm, MathsInMuseums, museums, writing
A couple of weeks before the conference, I was contacted by the organising committee to see if I’d be up for running a Maths in Museums activity as one option amongst a handful, all aiming at facilitating networking between maths communicators who were winding down and gearing up for their journeys home.
Tags: Coventry, mathematics, MathsComm, MathsInMuseums, museums