The third group of essays from the 2021 Teddy Rocks Maths Competition come from entrants with names beginning with the letters E or F. The showcase will take place throughout May with the winners being announced at the end of the month.

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 2022 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.

Ed delves into the philosophical through the work of Godel (Maths), Escher (Art) and Bach (Music).

Edgar explores the history of calculus and the argument of infinitesimals versus limits.

Eleanor asks what it is that makes something beautiful – from equations and shapes to the world around us.

Elena uncovers the history of the mathematical constant ‘e’.

Eliot explains how to calculate the sum of a sequence of numbers and derives some of his favourite formulae.

Elliot explores the million-dollar problem of P vs NP and how a solution could revolutionise online security.

Ellis introduces us to the Lorentz Equations and investigates their descent into chaos.

Emily teaches us how to play Nim – and perhaps more importantly how to use binary numbers to formulate a winning strategy.

Erin discusses the wide ranging applications of the natural growth rate ‘e’.

Fatin introduces the mathematics of queuing and how it can be key to the success – or failure – of a business.

Fiza explains the importance of the discovery of the Higgs Boson in 2013 in the context of the ‘Standard Model’.

Florence explores the deep connections between mathematics and our concept of ‘beauty’.

Freja discusses her love of wallpaper and how we can show that only 17 patterns are possible using the tools of topology.