As a freelancer who helps heritage sites and cultural organisations communicate the mathematics hidden within their collections, my ideal holiday naturally involves visiting as many museums as possible. This article explores what happens when we intentionally look for mathematical threads in cultural spaces. Inspired by a session I ran at the Talking Maths in Public (TMiP) conference (where I discovered that even dedicated mathmaticians often overlook these connections when exploring heritage sites) this piece is an open invitation to look at history through a completely different lens.
Illustrated with photographs taken during my own travels, the article highlights a few fascinating examples of “maths in the wild.” I guide readers through everything from wartime trigonometry at the Cornwall at War Museum and architectural geometry at Raglan Castle, to game theory and historical datasets at the British Library and Wellcome Collection. It is a lighthearted but passionate argument for viewing museums as vital spaces for informal learning, complete with a practical call-to-action on how visitors can encourage museums to make their mathematical stories visible.
Where to read it:
The full article is published in the Summer 2026 “Maths on Holiday” special edition of Mathematics Today (June 2026, Vol. 62, No. 3, pp. 70-71). If you are a member of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), you can read the issue via the IMA Mathematics Today Archive.