Enjoy the tenth group of essays from the 2024 TRM Essay Competition, now proudly held in partnership with the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. The showcase will take place throughout June and July with the winners being announced in August.

If you enjoy reading any of the essays, be sure to leave a comment to let the author know!

This essay explains Benford’s Law of random numbers and how it can be used to detect fraudulent data in bank statements and elections.

This essay explores uncertainty in the quantum world through Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle and superposition of quantum states.

This essay provides a short introduction to fractals and their occurrence in the natural world.

This essay uses the metaphor of a pizza recipe to explain the intricacies of the Fourier Transform.

This essay introduces the topic of graph theory through several famous problems in the field including the four colour theorem and the bridges of Koenigsberg.

This essay takes a deep dive into the topic of interpolation – where a polynomial curve is created to join together several points.

This essay investigates the geometry of ellipses, including how the foci can be used to create a theoretical golf course where you never miss.

This essay takes a detailed look at the physics behind Jack Sparrow’s miraculous survival when jumping off a cliff whilst attached to a pole in Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest.

This essay outlines the mathematical nature of the torus-shaped ‘vada’ – a South Indian savoury donut.

This essay gives a short overview of the properties of the Fibonacci numbers.

This essay emphasises the importance of using good notation when writing mathematics.

This essay explores higher dimensional objects through the generalisation of the properties of an n-cube.

This essay provides a high-level overview of the maths involved in the Riemann Hypothesis.

This essay explores the ramifications of Godels Incompleteness Theorems on the way humans try to understand the universe.

This essay compares and contrasts infinite sums – some of which diverge to infinity and others that converge to a finite value.