The fourth group of essays from the 2021 Teddy Rocks Maths Competition come from entrants with names beginning with the letters G, H or I. 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.

Gavin challenges our notion of ‘distance’ with an exploration of infinite expansions.

Golda talks all things Fibonacci – from sunflowers and black holes, to the magical Fibonacci fraction.

Hanis discusses cosmetic surgery and the quest to be ‘beautiful’ through the lens of mathematics.

Haren introduces the incredible ‘bubbles with exotic fruit’ cake and explains the mathematical principles behind its creation.

Harisah searches for the golden ratio in the most unexpected of places – from a resumé to the spirals of a pineapple.

Henrik shows us there’s much more to cutting a pizza (or doughnut) than first meets the eye.

Henry explains how 3D rotations are computed when playing video games.

Henry derives the equations of motion for a double pendulum, showing how their non-linearity gives rise to chaotic motion.

Isaac explores the vast history of the most famous mathematical constant, from Archimedes and polygons to super-computers.

Isabella introduces complex numbers and explores their many interesting properties.

Iyinolaoluwa looks back at the history of gambling and how it helped to develop probability theory.