iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I'm starting to wonder if MoneyWeek is just a rage bait page for maths people. Wtf is going on with the vertical scale?!

A bar chart titled "How the basic state pension has changed since 1948"
The bars do not go up in equal increments: the years are 1948, 1951, 1955, 1961, 1965, 1969, 1975, 1975 (again), 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, 2025, 2026

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Reposted by Emily Rae

Howie Hua @howiehua.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Mean Girls but it's a movie about Cady learning the different types of mean

Cady looking at the 3 mean girls, labeled the arithmetic, geometric, and harmonic mean

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

...Left [Name] and Right [Name], but that would depend on if it was from their perspective or mine. There was a brief discussion of other adjectives, but they were all rejected by the class. Then someone brought out a compass app, and they settled on North and South. Maths students are so logical 😂

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I have 2 students with the same first name and very similar surnames, who sit next to each other. Thus, we had a conundrum over what I should call them to distinguish them easily (eg when cold calling) I suggested numbers, but they couldn't agree on who would be [Name] 1 and [Name] 2. We considered

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Nathan Day @nathanday.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

*New* Mathematician of the Week Posters Here's something I've been working on over the summer. A growing set of posters of mathematicians doing cool things with maths. Each comes in black/white or colour, with a quote and a link to read more. Check them out at: interwovenmaths.com/mathematicians

Collage of 25 posters of mathematicians.

Screenshot of week 1, showing a poster, a quote and a link.

Screenshot of week 14, showing a poster, a quote and a link.

Screenshot of week 12, showing a poster, a quote and a link.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Some nice revision questions for students preparing for TMUA/ESAT #ALevelMaths

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

This looks great, thanks for sharing 😊

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Yes! And usually end up with 0=0 as "proof" that it is true! 😱

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Have you read anything by Blake Crouch? I really liked some of his books. Recursion and Dark Matter were the first two I read of his, and was hooked.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I've found Matt Haig very hit and miss. Didn't like The Humans, but couldn't put How To Stop Time down. He's maybe the kind of author where you have to take each of his books on their own merit, rather than forming an opinion as a whole!

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Hi Andrew, these look great 🙂

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

100% in agreement with you there!

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I usually read it out loud as "x is (strictly) between 5 and 10", so maybe that's why the double-sided inequality doesn't feel as wrong!

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I was one of the best mathematicians in my school, then I turned up at uni and was like "WOAH, there are some very clever people here" 😳😂

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

That's probably true. Going from being a big fish in a small pond, to an average-sized fish in a large pond can be a good thing (and good preparation for university, where they will undoubtedly meet people who are far better at maths than them!)

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Tommaths (he/him) @teakayb.mathsy.space · 26/09/2026

I've got one copy of *The Mathematicians' Library* to give away in each of four languages: Polish, German, Japanese, and Spanish. I'm offering them for free (including UK postage) & I'd like them to go somewhere that'd make good use of them. If you think *your* organisation or group would...

$Four editions of The Mathematicians’ Library are arranged on a patterned surface: the Polish edition, German edition, Japanese edition and Spanish edition. The Polish and Spanish covers feature a Renaissance-style astronomical diagram with a Vitruvian figure, while the German edition has a vivid purple-and-pink fractal design and the Japanese edition shows colourful abstract mathematical forms.$

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Yeah, I'm acutely aware that the students we get would have been amongst the best students in their schools the year before. It does, unfortunately, lead to a bit of over-confidence in some, which can make it harder to convince them that they still need to work hard! 😆

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Also, use of the "this implies" arrow to mean anything other than its actual meaning, like "equals", or "look at this thing here". This isn't a grumble about GCSE teaching, though. It's just that the specification doesn't focus on formality in the same way, so students need it modelling at A Level.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Inequalities like 5 > x bother me a lot more than they should. I know it's technically correct, but the important fact is that x is less than 5, not that 5 is greater than x 😅

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I think this is because at GCSE there is more credit for the answer being right, and less on rigorous methods/clear reasoning. The reluctance to put an equals sign at the beginning of a new line when doing a proof is a constant battle that my students probably wish I would shut up about 😅

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

For me, it is how students set out a solution. Very few will start with whatever they are trying to solve, and work systematically down the page with one line following on from the previous one. There is a lot of sideways working, and random unconnected bits, followed by an answer suddenly appearing

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Follow up question: In approximately what year will the number of students sitting SMC exceed the population of the whole college? 😅

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I love looking back at previous order numbers for Senior Maths Challenge over the time I've been in charge of running it. Making tricky non-calculator voluntary maths tests cool amongst teenagers since 2021 😎😅 #MathsToday

The number of packs of 10 UKMT Senior Maths Challenge entries ordered each year increases from 5 in 2021 to 23 in 2026.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Hi, yes I'm in a sixth form college. Happy to message with you @chochlo.bsky.social if you want to know the differences/similarities 😊

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I agree. I think teaching them strategies (like drawing a good sketch, and substituting your answer back in to check it actually works afterwards) is really important for a topic like modulus function.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I think it's been suggested as an idea before, but I don't know if anyone has actually got around to creating one!

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Agree with Sam. I can't think of particular questions/years, but this would be a nice question to consolidate understanding.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

That's annoying. I wouldn't have thought they could just put you on an earlier flight; what if you had transport to the airport booked (or other plans before the flight time)?

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

(Obviously the staple-free stapler is safe in the office, as I can't trust it to be left on its own in the classroom 😅)

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Resorting to emotional blackmail to stop people stealing my staplers 😅

Two staplers with handwritten labels stuck on the top.
"Ash 24 is my happy place - please leave me here!"
"Please keep me in Ash 24 - I like it here!"

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Amanda Austin @draustinmaths.com · 20/09/2026

New A-level Further Maths resources added today: ✨Different Forms of Complex Numbers Fill in the Blanks ✨Multiplying and Dividing Complex Numbers Match-Up Steadily building a (hopefully useful) bank of Further Maths resources at www.draustinmaths.com/a-level-further-maths #MathsToday #ALevelMaths

Multiplying and dividing complex numbers in exponential form match-up activity suitable for A-level Further Maths students.

Different forms of complex numbers fill in the blanks activity suitable for A-level Further Maths students.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Thanks Amanda, your further maths resources are great 😊

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Yeah, I had got into a good routine over the summer holidays, but I often end up ditching it once I'm back at work. Trying to keep it up as long as possible 🤞

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Yeah, I also think once you get out of routine it's so hard to get back in. I've found the only way I can do it is to set my alarm and get up immediately without any snoozing, otherwise all of my motivation crumbles 😅

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Today in "really bad graphs". Why would you add the median and mean together, when they are two different comparitive measures of the same data?! Ew. #MathsToday

A screenshot from a post by MoneyWeek. The title of the graph is "Average net worth by age" with increments going up in 5 year blocks from 20 to 24, to 90 plus. The values for median net worth and mean net worth are shown in light green and dark green respectively, and have been added together in each bar to make a total length of "median plus mean".

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

We do this for A Level Maths 🙂 Students complete and mark their own homework questions, then there is a random check of a question each week where students who have done it properly are able to replicate their answer, while those who just copied the mark scheme are left floundering.

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

A tea towel might be a fun addition to the staffroom... although I think the duvets are going a bit far! 😅 www.cgpbooks.co.uk/merch/welcom...

cgpbooks.co.uk

Duvets

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Oh, maybe I will try making soup sometime, then. I always wondered whether stock cubes were frowned upon in the soup-making community 😂

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

New year's resolutions always feel more meaningful for me in September, rather than January. Week 3 of Operation Drag Self Out Of Bed And Run Before Work has been achieved. I feel like it's going to be harder (colder/darker) going forward, and have optimistically purchased a reflective vest... 😬🏃‍♀️

A screenshot from Strava showing distances run each day for the last 4 weeks. The circles typically show around 5.2km, 3-4 times per week.
Today was a bit longer (10.1km) because it is the weekend...

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I've also never made soup before. I'm always confused by the instruction to add stock, as I don't know whether that means use a stock cube, or if I'm supposed to have somehow made my own stock from previous cooking earlier in the week...

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

It ruins you for all other cinemas 😂

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

That is certainly prettier than the Odeon 🤩 But reclining seats and maximum distance from other people's poor behaviour still wins out for me 😂

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Honestly, this idea could be extended to so many areas of life 😄

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

B** **Alternative answer: I refuse to go to any cinema near me except for the Odeon Luxe, which has enough space in front of each seat for people to walk past without anyone having to move

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Oh no! Every so often I have a little panic on the drive to work when I think I forgot mine, and I have to frantically check for it (it's usually under a coat on the passenger seat) 😅

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Gosh, I'm ahead of the trend; I've been taking a packed lunch to work for nearly 20 years. Tbf, in teaching, who has the time to go out and source their lunch?!

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Occasionally, if it stops connecting to the Bluetooth in my car...

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Emily Rae @ecrmaths.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Oh, don't even get me started on how often I switch off my phone 😅

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