The twelfth group of essays from the 2023 Teddy Rocks Maths Competition. The showcase will take place throughout June and July with the winners being announced at the end.

The competition is organised with St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford and offers a cash prize plus publication on the university website for the winners. It will be running again in early 2024 so be sure to follow Tom (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube) to make sure you don’t miss the announcement!

This essay looks at modern cameras and the incredible detail they are able to capture.

Leena explores how maths can be applied to understand a range of geographical phenomena.

Darcey investigates the Brachistochrone curve – the fastest path an object can take under gravity.

Clarissa explains how the double pendulum gives rise to chaos.

This essay applies a range of statistical tool to work out the probability of winning the Teddy Rocks Maths Essay Competition.

Muhammad devises a clever strategy to send secret messages during a French lesson.

Carys uncovers the secret to creating music that sounds pleasing to human ears.

Muhammad takes a closer look at fractals and their appearance in nature.

Ishaan explains the mathematics underlying neural networks.

Mia applies the tools of Game Theory to try to calculate the optimal strategy in a game of noughts and crosses.

This essay explores the number sequences behind naturally occurring patterns.

Phillip provides an overview of the mathematics of fractals and why they are so pleasing to the human brain.