Far too excited because IT’S NEARLY PI DAY! Here’s a sneak peak of a very special video I’ve put together to celebrate 3-14 aka the International Day of Mathematics.
Featuring Pi, Pi-kachu, Pokémon Cards and Countdown - coming Saturday :)
NEW VIDEO: Detecting Black Holes with Reinhard Genzel.
Nobel Prize Laureate Reinhard Genzel explains how we can use gravity to detect black holes, and the important role both mentors and sport played in his award-winning career.
Premieres today (Sunday) at 8pm (GMT) - see you in the live chat!
Thanks Jen - glad you enjoyed reading it!
If you've ever wanted to know more about my actual job at Cambridge, this interview with Varsity is the one for you. I also talk about my background, my journey through Oxbridge, and why outreach is central to everything I do.
Give it a read and let me know what you think :)
Tattoo 73 - Laplace Transform. A beautiful technique for solving PDEs which I cover in the 2nd year Maths Undergraduate course at Cambridge University.
Do you recognise it?
You all enjoyed this last time so here’s what I’ve been teaching this week @ox.ac.uk. Which topics do you recognise?
Football appreciation post from the last week: from celebrating winning the league with the Nuffield team at formal on Friday, to watching Brighton beat Nottingham Forest after running the Half Marathon on Sunday.
Watch me explain the geometry of penalty kicks here:
youtu.be/54EmUfF1-0c
NEW VIDEO with @chazingdra.bsky.social: Why Do I Love Pokémon?
A privilege to be part of this video tribute to everyone's favourite video game celebrating 30 years. Tell me why YOU love Pokémon in the comments!
PS - the answer is obviously mathematical...
Really interesting to talk to MPs at the Houses of Parliament about a possible social media ban for under-16s.
Thanks to Google UK and YouTube for organising and to the brilliant students that shared their views. Whatever happens it’s important young people have a say in the outcome!
Smashed it. 13.1 miles in 1:44:37 with 5 of 6 Countdown puzzles successfully solved. Thanks to all of the local schools for setting the questions - they were tricky!
Love that I look more tired at the start from the 7am wake up (photo 3) than I do after the finish (photo 4). Not a morning person…
What a brilliant way to start the weekend - thanks to Oxford Pokémon Society for letting me be a part of the Pokémon University Challenge Championships. I hope you all had as much fun as I did!
And still can’t believe someone gifted me a shiny Professor card <3
NEW VIDEO: Rock, Marry, Kill, Triangle Edition - Equilateral, Isosceles and Scalene. Which do you rock, which do you marry, and which do you kill?
And yes I am having far too much fun coming up with creative ways to get people talking about maths!
Do you study maths, physics, engineering or any other field that makes people stare at you like you've gone bonkers whenever you try to explain it? Join @tomrocksmaths.bsky.social for our next workshop on Monday! forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/Respon...
Had a lot of fun chatting all things Pythagoras with @geofflloyd.bsky.social on @virginradiouk.bsky.social last night - and what an honour to be the first guest lecturer on the night school!
Listen at the link below if you missed it live:
tomrocksmaths.com/2026/02/26/v...
This weekend I'll be running the Brighton Half in support of The Sussex Beacon who provide invaluable support to people living with HIV.
As well as running, I'll also be solving Countdown-style puzzles set by local schools along the route - wish me luck!
(Photos of me running)
Great day in my studio/office filming some new content - any guesses what it might be?
Added commentary from the voice inside my head.
Hi 👋
What a brilliant day at TEDx Oxford - thank you to all of the incredible speakers I had the pleasure of introducing, and to the audience for laughing at my attempted jokes.
Video of my talk “how to teach maths” to follow in the coming months :)
I recorded an Oxford version of the infamous video (where the band run naked through the streets of LA) a few years ago which I'd love to finally get released, I just need an audio track to go with the footage. Send me a message here if you want to help out: tomrocksmaths.com/contact/
Call out to my favourite maths fans - would any of you be interested in recording a "maths version" of the lyrics to Blink-182's What's My Age Again for an upcoming video?
More info below :)
NEW VIDEO: The Grelling-Nelson Paradox versus Chudnovsky's Algorithm. Numbers vs. Words is back and it's more mathematical than ever...
Watch the video and vote for your favourite here: forms.gle/MaG9q6zVdHWC...
Oxford looking pretty during these winter nights <3
Having fun at the Penguin non-fiction launch event explaining the maths behind my favourite Pokémon. And what a superstar line-up to share the stage with!
How many Pikachus Would it Take to Power a Lightbulb - coming October 2026 :)
Well played @susiedentwords.bsky.social - I thought I had you but the voters had other ideas... Words go ahead by 2 with a victory for "Bonelocker" and kennings over the Planck length. Look out for round 17 coming later this week!
And don't forget to catch up here: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
Love maths? Or know someone who does? The annual @tomrocksmaths.bsky.social Essay Competition is now open to entries!
Write an essay on any mathematical topic to be in with a chance of winning a place on one of our online courses or a cash prize!
Find out more: buff.ly/OeCQy0q
Good luck! 🍀
NEW VIDEO: Announcing the 2026 Tom Rocks Maths Essay Competition - open to EVERYONE
Write about your favourite maths topic and win prizes. It's that simple. Full information here: lifelong-learning.ox.ac.uk/about/tom-ro...
Watch now: youtu.be/cc84XazSPDU
A pleasure to host the 2nd lecture in the @euromathsoc.bsky.social Education Series this evening with the brilliant Nuno Crato (former Education Minister of Portugal) and Tim Surma (an expert in teacher training).
Watch to discover the best ways to learn maths: www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Cd...
Such a fun session with the Year 11 students at Samuel Ward Academy talking about applications of maths in the real world. We looked at my favourite sport = football; my favourite shapes = Platonic Solids; and my favourite video game = Pokémon.
Thanks for being a great audience :)
Over the past few years I've had the pleasure of working with some incredible people, and to celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science I would like to highlight the following scientists as people that you should follow.
May they continue to inspire young people around the world <3
Tattoos #71 and #72 - Residue Theorem and Euler-Lagrange Equation.
The Residue Theorem says the path integral of a function around a closed curve is determined by the points inside where it is undefined.
The Euler Lagrange Equation tells you how to find the extreme points of an integral.
