December 2011
Welcome to the Christmas newsletter from MathsBank.
Hope you've had a good term. As we gear up for the all-important exams in January and the summer, try to take a break for a couple of days over Christmas, relax and forget all about maths.
Free Books
We have teamed up with Orchard Solutions Education to offer you the chance of a free A-Level text book, which will be published next year. In exchange, they are asking you to review one chapter of the book. There is a limited number of books available, so if you are interested in applying, please reply to this email without delay! More details available on reply.
MathsBank Blog
There has been plenty of activity on the MathsBank Blog. Why not click the 'Follow' button on the right-hand side of the page.
Firstly, we discussed the proposals to overhaul the system of
applying to university.
Would you favour earlier exams if it means more certainty about your applications?
We also celebrated the lives of three great mathematicians from very different eras:
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Caleb Gattegno, founder of the Association of Teachers of Mathematics, among many other things;
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Evariste Galois, precocious but troubled genius from revolutionary France;
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Charles Babbage, whose inventions paved the way for today's computers.
Finally another competition. If you can come up with a great ICT resource, win books for yourself and your school courtesy of MEI and Tarquin .
Feedback
Please continue to let us know if you have anything to say about MathsBank, good or bad, e.g. if you spot anything missing or broken, question topics you'd like to see included, etc. Your feedback is most appreciated.
That's all for now. Wishing you a very happy and relaxing Christmas break.
Luke - luke@MathsBank.co.uk - MathsBank.co.uk
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September 2011
Welcome back to a new school year and to the September newsletter from MathsBank.
Whether you are starting out on AS maths or returning for some extra tough A2 maths, or teaching any of these, we hope it goes well for you this year.
MathsBank Blog
There are plenty of new articles on the MathsBank Blog. Why not click the 'Follow' button on the right-hand side of the page.
The main news over the summer was the exam results. Boys are doing better than girls in GCSE maths, contrary to what we find in other subjects.
At A-Level, the issues surround the scramble for university places. Have you had a struggle to find a place? We would be pleased to hear your story.
We also discussed the creeping concern about the quality of the exams being set by the major exam boards and
Carol Vorderman's Task Force report on the future of maths education in the UK.
There was a good set of results from the British team at the International Mathematical Olympiad.
And we celebrate the lives of two great mathematicians:
One from centuries past:
Pierre de Fermat
and one more recent: Paul Meier.
Finally, if you're between 17 and 19, don't miss the IMA's competition on Alan Turing, one of the finest logicians to have lived.
Feedback
Please continue to let us know if you have anything to say about MathsBank, good or bad, e.g. if you spot anything missing or broken, question topics you'd like to see included, etc. Your feedback is most appreciated.
That's all for now.
Luke - luke@MathsBank.co.uk - MathsBank.co.uk
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May 2011
Welcome to the May newsletter from MathsBank. It's just a brief one this month, as we know it's a busy time for you all.
Good Luck!
Exam season has now started. If you are a student, some of you in England have already sat the C1 and M1 exams. (It's all different in other parts of the UK.) Whatever your exam timetable, keep up the hard work for another couple of weeks and the next time we speak, you will be enjoying a well-deserved rest. We wish you the very best of luck.
MathsBank Blog
Why not follow the MathsBank Blog? Just click the 'Follow' button on the right-hand side of the page.
Just one new article on the blog this month. Following on from our previous post on the European Girls' Maths Olympiad, the London Mathematical Society hosted their annual
Women in Maths Day on 6th May.
The event was open to all, but was especially aimed at female maths students. The event featured a range of interesting talks and is described in more detail on the
LMS website .
If you're studying maths at university next year, especially in London, this would be a great event to get along to.
Feedback
Please continue to let us know if you have anything to say about MathsBank, good or bad, e.g. if you spot anything missing or broken, question topics you'd like to see included, etc. Your feedback is most appreciated.
That's all for now.
Luke - luke@MathsBank.co.uk - MathsBank.co.uk
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April 2011
Welcome to the April MathsBank newsletter, to bring you up to date on the latest news from the site.
Offers for Renewing Subscribers
As a reminder, we are still running our discount for renewing subscribers. If you had a subscription that has now expired at MathsBank.co.uk, or have a subscription that will shortly expire, you will qualify for 25% off a renewal.
We can offer you any new subscription on the website at the discounted rate - it doesn't have to be the package you previously took out.
You will not see this offer on the website. If you wish to take it up, please reply to this email with subject line '25% Offer' and we will send instructions on how to proceed.
We hope you continue to find the site useful in your teaching or your revision.
New Questions
The C1 module is still the flavour of the month on the website, with plenty of new questions there, many of them free to access. For example Are there roots?
Feedback
Please continue to let us know if you have anything to say about MathsBank, good or bad, e.g. if you spot anything missing or broken, question topics you'd like to see included, etc. Your feedback is most appreciated.
MathsBank Blog
Why not follow the MathsBank Blog? Just click the 'Follow' button on the right-hand side of the page. Among the goodies from the last few weeks:
We take a look at the possibility of a new era in super-computing, brought about by some incredible mathematics.
We take a sneak preview of the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad, to take place in April 2012. If you're female, at school and good at maths, this might be for you.
Finally, we continue to follow the saga of tuition fees, with the latest on which universities are going to be charging what.
That's all for now.
Luke - luke@MathsBank.co.uk - MathsBank.co.uk
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March 2011
Welcome to your March newsletter from MathsBank . It's just a quick message to bring you up to date on the latest news from the site.
Offers for Renewing Subscribers
If you had a subscription that has now expired at MathsBank.co.uk, we hope you found the site useful in your teaching or your revision. We are now running a special offer until the end of March. To all existing or previous subscribers, we can offer you any new subscription at 25% off the price shown on the website. You will not see this offer on the website. If you wish to take it up, please reply to this email with subject line 'March Offer' and we will send instructions on how to proceed.
New Questions
Just thought we'd point out that there are plenty of new questions on the site this month, particularly if you are interested in the C1 module. For example this on completing the square.
Feedback
Please continue to let us know if you have anything to say about MathsBank, good or bad, e.g. if you spot anything missing or broken, question topics you'd like to see included, etc. Your feedback is most appreciated.
MathsBank Blog
And finally, don't forget the MathsBank Blog. Since we last spoke:
We look back on the life of Caleb Gattegno, educator, inventor, mathematician and linguist, who was born 100 years ago this year.
Secondly, we chart the
ever-growing list of universities
willing, or compelled, to charge its students the highest possible fees from next year, when legislation allows them to do so.
Note to sixth form students: start saving.
That's all for now, Luke.
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February 2011
Welcome to the February MathsBank newsletter. Here's a quick message to bring you up to date with the latest news from the site.
Discounts for referrals
According to our Google Analytics, it has been the busiest month ever on both the main site and the MathsBank Blog. This is also reflected in the number of positive comments we've had from our users.
As we said last month, we will soon be opening up a referrals scheme. Users will be able to refer a friend or colleague, who will then get their own subscription at half price. If you are interested in the referral scheme, there will shortly be more information about it on the MathsBank website. Alternatively, you can email us and we will send you some information on how to get started.
Feedback
Please continue to let us know if you have anything to say about MathsBank, good or bad, e.g. if you spot anything missing or broken, question topics you'd like to see included, etc. Your feedback is most appreciated.
MathsBank Blog
So, what's been happening on the MathsBank Blog? Well:
We look back on the life of Carl Friedrich Gauss, who was producing his best mathematical works 200 years ago. He was one of the most versatile mathematicians of the last few centuries, making groundbreaking discoveries in statistics, astronomy and number theory.
Secondly, we continue to chart the painful progress of the education secretary Michael Gove in his various reforms of our education system
here
and here .
I think the word they'd use on the news is 'beleaguered'.
That's all for now, Luke.
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January 2011
Welcome back to the MathsBank newsletter for another new term. Here's a quick message to bring you up to date with the latest news from the site.
Discounts for referrals
We will soon be opening up a referrals scheme. Users will be able to refer a friend or colleague, who will then get their own subscription at half price. If you are interested in the referral scheme, there will shortly be more information about it on the MathsBank website. Alternatively, you can email us and we will send you some information on how to get started.
New Functionality for Question Pages
Following the recent change of design on the site, some users pointed out that some of the features they knew and used regularly were no longer as easy to find. We've added a new Actions menu to the question pages to help with commonly used functions. From this menu you can enlarge or reduce the question text, activate the timer and step through the solution to the question.
See it in action, for example, here.
You will need to be logged in to do either of the last two.
Please continue to let us know if you spot anything missing or broken on the site, or if you have any general comments. Your feedback is most appreciated.
MathsBank Blog
Meanwhile, what's been happening on the MathsBank Blog? Well there are a couple of new articles worth mentioning.
We celebrate the life of Erwin Schrödinger, who died 50 years ago this month. He was one of the great mathematical minds of the 20th century and some of his ideas are now beginning to seem as important as anything else from the last 100 years.
Secondly, we've got an article on a brief history of randomness, with a link to the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time, which aired last week on the same subject. Well worth a read (and a listen).
That's all for now. Wishing you all the best for the new term.
Luke - luke@MathsBank.co.uk - MathsBank.co.uk
P.S. We're not into spamming people, so if you don't want to receive MathsBank newsletters, just reply to this email with 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. Also, please let us know if you'd prefer to receive emails in text format rather than HTML by replying with 'text' in the subject line.
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December 2010
Hope you're surviving the icy blast. If you're among the growing number who have broken up for Christmas early, enjoy and make the most of it!
Advent Calendar
So, we're now entering the final week of the MathsBank Advent Calendar. If you haven't looked at it yet, we've had
skaters colliding on the ice,
magical Christmas presents,
an exposé on the size of bankers' Christmas bonuses,
and turkeys voting for Christmas
Have fun and enjoy some more Christmas themed resources up until Christmas Eve!
New Design and Freebies
The new look MathsBank site is still there, and many of the resources remain free for the time being. Check out the list of the Most popular free questions on the home page, or in whichever module you're using: C1, M1, etc.
Please continue to let us know if you spot anything missing or broken on the site, or if you have any general comments. Your feedback is most appreciated.
MathsBank Blog
Meanwhile, on the MathsBank Blog there are a couple of new articles worth mentioning.
We are still following the
student protests
against the proposed rises in tuition fees, which seem to be getting more vociferous each week.
Secondly, we are looking back on the life of a woman well-known for her humanitarian work, but less well known as a remarkable pioneering statistician.
Florence Nightingale died 100 years ago.
That's all for now, except to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and a relaxing well-earned break.
Luke - luke@mathsbank.co.uk - mathsbank.co.uk
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November 2010
New Design and Freebies!
There are some very important changes afoot on the MathsBank site - we've been working hard to spruce the place up. We hope you find the new layout more pleasing on the eye and easier to navigate.
What's more, to celebrate the new look, we're making all our resources completely free for the rest of the month of November. Why not take a look?
There may still be a few things to tidy up, so if you spot anything missing or broken on the site, let us know. Please feel free to pass general comments on the new design too. We really value your feedback.
Advent Calendar
Look out next week for the start of the MathsBank Advent Calendar. We'll be promoting some fun Christmas themed resources through the month of December.
MathsBank Blog
Meanwhile, on the MathsBank Blog there are a couple of new articles worth mentioning.
We reported on the death of the inspirational
Benoit Mandelbrot, who pioneered the first research into fractals back in the 1970s. After him, one very famous, infinitely complex (of course) and beautiful fractal is named: the Mandelbrot Set. There is also a stunning deep dive into the Mandelbrot Set on Vimeo.
Secondly, we paid homage to a mathematician who was probably more of a lucky guesser,
Paul the Octopus, who also died recently. I'm sorry, I don't know how I dared to mention the two in the same newsletter... But Paul's uncanny ability to predict the results of World Cup football matches brings about a host of possibilities for discussions on statistics and probability.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Luke - luke@mathsbank.co.uk - mathsbank.co.uk
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October 2010
Hello from us here at MathsBank. Is your school year going well so far? What do you mean you're stressed out already?
The Browne Report
The big news this week is the Browne Report into the funding of university courses. Since, as one former government minister famously said 'There is no money left', it looks as though the largest burden of university education is going to be taken up by those taking the courses. Are you planning a university career in the next year or two? Are you worried?
MathsBank Blog
We have some very free thoughts on the matter on the MathsBank Blog .
See our latest post Help! I can't afford to go to uni!.
We also discuss one of the most inspired and gifted mathematicians ever to live:
Évariste Galois.
MathsBank Shop
Remember, if you haven't already taken out a subscription, there are several different subscription packages available. We have recently introduced payment by monthly standing order, which could give you substantial savings, depending on your exact requirements. There should be something there to fit your needs. MathsBank shop.
All the best for now.
Luke - luke@mathsbank.co.uk - mathsbank.co.uk
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