Mathematical Stories

How a scribble in the margin of a textbook taunted mathematicians for centuries.

The legendary Andrew Wiles talks about what it's like to do maths and how it's all about being creative. (Image © Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation / Flemming­ – 2016)

James Maynard tells us why he is counting prime numbers that don't have 7 as a digit, and how he takes inspiration from ideas in music, engineering and science.

Professor Frank Kelly uses mathematics to understand how large networks such as traffic systems or the internet behave. In this short interview he talks about some of his favourite mathematical moments, and why it's important to be prepared for new ideas to come out of the blue.

David Berman researches string theory. In this short interview he talks about how mathematics gives us a language to describe the universe, letting us explore beyond what we can ordinarily imagine.

Nira tells us how solving difficult problems can be like fighting an invisible boxer, and how he loves the feeling of having succeeded — because "the harder the battle, the sweeter the victory!"

Vicky explains how maths is an adventure that's really worth having.

Carola tells us how the mathematics of image analysis finds applications in many areas, from medicine to ecology, and why it's so important to be creative.

Mathematician Katie Steckles tells us about her favourite mathematical moments and why imagination is everything.

Find out how a 19th century mathematician made modern computers possible

Watch this talk by Vicky Neale to discover some of the unsolved questions about prime numbers that mathematicians are working on today.

Watch this talk by David Tong to learn more about Einstein's greatest achievement.

Find out how Julia Gog is using maths to fight influenza.

Find out how Florence Nightingale used pictures to bring statistics to life.

Discover a completely new area of maths with Leonhard Euler.

How a toy led Manjul Bhargava to a mathematical discovery.

Meet Albert Einstein and his act of "pure creation".