On Thursday afternoon, the Sixth Form were delighted to welcome Alex Bellos to the Sixth Form Speaker Programme. Mr Bellos is a mathematics writer and former journalist. His bestselling books include Alex’s Adventures in Numberland, Can You Solve My Problems? and Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, among others. He also writes a fortnightly puzzle column in The Guardian.

Combining his passion for mathematics with his journalistic experience, Mr Bellos spoke to us about how numbers and culture are inextricably linked. From the reasoning behind our favourite numbers, to numerical gender associations, Mr Bellos challenged and enlightened the Sixth Form about how we can see numbers in a new way.

His talk was thought-provoking, insightful and dynamic; appealing not only to the mathematicians in the room, but the whole Sixth Form. His talk was met with enthusiasm from pupils and teachers alike, who asked a number of questions, and even had their calculators signed…

Carolina Julius, Lower Sixth