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Rob Eastaway

@robeastaway

Author, speaker, Director of www.mathsinspiration.com, cricket-lover, dad. Friend of BBC R4's podcast More or Less.

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15.08.2024
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Latest posts by Rob Eastaway @robeastaway

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06.03.2026 16:24 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Historical Association Conference 2026 Join historians, teachers and history enthusiasts for two days of discussion, debate and professional learning in Newcastle Gateshead on 15 and 16 May 2026.

What if some maths was formally part of the History curriculum? History gives maths more context and its stories can captivate students. @teakayb.mathstodon.xyz.ap.brid.gy and I are at the @histassoc.bsky.social conference in May, aiming to talk to hundreds of history teachers. www.haconference.com

05.03.2026 20:47 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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With a month to go until Easter, get your bids in to the Googly Fund for small grants for friendly cricket.
Could be for help with your:
-Ground🚜
-Kit🏏
-TeasπŸ«–
-Advertising🀳
We’ll fund anything that helps get more people playing friendly forms of the game in the UK & Ireland

04.03.2026 16:12 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Here's the uncropped version

02.03.2026 22:46 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The book also included V=IR, v=u+at, a^2+b^2=c^2. I mean, they were practically handing us the answers πŸ˜‰

02.03.2026 22:33 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Here's part of an A level formula sheet. It tells you how to solve a quadratic. Students have this with them in their exam, so they don't have to memorise it. Whatever next?!
Er...actually this is from the SMP Advanced tables book, 1975 (first edition 1966). Plus ca change.

02.03.2026 22:31 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 1
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Fear of Numbers, with Rob Eastaway - Your Brain On Climate The history of humans arguing about climate change is often just people throwing large numbers at each other. So it's time for an episode about how we think about numbers, why our brains are prone to ...

It was really good to be the guest on the 'Your Brain On Climate' podcast with @powellds.bsky.social, a chance to talk in depth about the importance of numeracy when dealing with emotionally charged topics like climate change www.yourbrainonclimate.com/1817605/epis...

23.02.2026 17:33 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
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SHAKESPEARE BY NUMBERS - A free public talk
On 10th March at 5pm, @freeburian.bsky.social and I are doing a joint talk on how numbers influenced Shakespeare. The venue is the London Interdisciplinary School in Whitechapel. A limited number of seats available, message one of us if you'd like to come.

23.02.2026 10:12 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Fear of Numbers, with Rob Eastaway - Your Brain On Climate The history of humans arguing about climate change is often just people throwing large numbers at each other. So it's time for an episode about how we think about numbers, why our brains are prone to ...

I’ve been guest on three very different podcasts recently:

Your Brain on Climate - numeracy to fight politicians
www.yourbrainonclimate.com/1817605/epis...

More or Less - Delap's maths trick
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

Shakespeare Unlimited - maths 500 years ago
www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...

17.02.2026 10:11 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Consensus seems to be that most companies had ceased production by 1976 and slide rules had disappeared from almost all classrooms (except as curiosity pieces) by 1980.

15.02.2026 23:51 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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I just bought a new toy - it's a fully working giant slide rule that was used for classroom demonstrations in the 1960s. This is what people used for doing tricky calculations, before electronic calculators took over in the late 1970s.

15.02.2026 17:18 πŸ‘ 20 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 0

Mornington Crescent?

12.02.2026 21:17 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ˜ƒ

12.02.2026 21:12 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Here’s my maths colleague @sparksmaths.bsky.social performing it on the Widnes platform in 2019 (there were no other passengers to hear it).

12.02.2026 20:47 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0

It was Widnes station, surely. I’ve been to the station and seen the plaque!

12.02.2026 20:29 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

Not quite, in fact it’s more the reverse of that…

09.02.2026 16:04 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

@adamrutherford.bsky.social in case you missed it, we uncovered Delap's mathematical secret, and mentioned Ipswich too.

09.02.2026 11:48 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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BBC Radio 4 - More or Less, Is this Premier League striker a secret maths genius? Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

Liam Delap of Chelsea FC can work out cube roots in his head. Is he a maths genius, or does he have a trick up his sleeve?
I investigated with @timharford.ft.com on this week's More or Less. You can listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p...

07.02.2026 10:23 πŸ‘ 12 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 4

Whether you like maths or Shakespeare or both (πŸ™‹πŸ»β€β™‚οΈ) or neither, this interview with @robeastaway.bsky.social is a fascinating listen.

02.02.2026 07:14 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Shakespeare and Mathematics | Folger Shakespeare Library Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...

We often pigeonhole people as either a "maths " or an "artsβ€œ person, but in Shakespeare’s time this divide didn’t exist.
I spoke with @Folger.edu about why looking at Shakespeare through the eyes of a mathematician can help students to appreciate both disciplines. www.folger.edu/podcasts/sha...

01.02.2026 09:39 πŸ‘ 13 πŸ” 8 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

In NSW Australia there are three leaving-school maths exams: Standard, Extension 1 and Extension 2, which roughly equate to our AS, A level and Further. Here's the 2024 Extension 1 paper.
I like the quickie questions at the start, which test a range of maths skills www.nsw.gov.au/sites/defaul...

30.01.2026 17:43 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

How did I miss that open goal?!

28.01.2026 13:04 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Ok, people saying β€œmyself” instead of β€œme” is getting irritating now.
I blame you, #Traitors

27.01.2026 11:31 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
Rob Eastaway

Have you ever heard of "Transient Global Amnesia"? No, I hadn't either, until the 24th July last year, when it happened to me. For a day I forgot everything.
Here's the story: robeastaway.com/blog/amnesia

21.01.2026 18:35 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Not been to the new MathsWorld in London yet?
Come along on the evening of Thursday 29th Jan. I'm doing a talk on the maths of Shakespeare's London and it's also a chance to play with all the puzzles and exhibits. mathsworld.com/events/Shake...

19.01.2026 08:05 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

My early season cricket has improved a lot thanks to local nets being available from October to March.

17.01.2026 19:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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So happy to be back in nets, the season is just three months away

17.01.2026 19:06 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Step into Shakespeare's London as never before, an evening talk on Thursday 29th January at the amazing new MathsWorld venue, not far from the Globe mathsworld.com/events

16.01.2026 10:49 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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We were delighted to host β€œShakespeare’s Hidden Numbers” at the library, a fascinating talk by Rob Eastaway, author of Much Ado About Numbers. The session had students laughing and seeing Maths/The Bard in a whole new light. Thank you @kes-mathematics.bsky.social for this opportunity!

14.01.2026 14:32 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

29th January, 7pm - I'm doing a talk at MathsWorld London about the Maths of Shakespeare's London.
Elizabethan History meets Shakespeare and mathematics.
Also a great chance to visit this fabulous new venue which is close to Tate Modern. Advance booking required.
mathsworld.com/events/Shake...

15.01.2026 08:52 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0