The fourth group of essays from the Teddy Rocks Maths Competition cover the history of various different areas of maths. The competition was organised with St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford and offers a cash prize plus publication on the university website. It will be running again in early 2021 so be sure to follow Tom (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) to make sure you don’t miss the announcement!

All essays can be read in full (as submitted) by clicking on the title below. If you enjoy any of them please let the author know by leaving a comment!

The History and Development of the Number Zero

Amelia explains the history of zero, from placeholder to number.

Were the Pyramids built by Aliens?

Benjamin looks at the evidence for this famous conspiracy theory. 

How Important are the Kerala School’s Discoveries to Modern-day Mathematics

Daniel discusses the work of the Kerala School and its impact on today’s mathematics.

A Short History of the Discovery of Pythagoras’ Theorem and NO, it wasn’t only Pythagoras’ Discovery!

Guneeka explores the rich history of the theorem attributed to Pythagoras. 

As Easy as 3.14159265…

Oliver looks back at the various methods used to approximate the most famous of numbers. 

Can you send a secret message without encrypting at all?

Simon decodes the world of cryptography. 

Who even needs algebra?

Sophie makes us think about the importance of algebra in our daily lives. 

A brief view over Abstract algebra and Algebraic number theory

Svetozar discusses the history of his favourite mathematical topics.