Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 03/07/2026That an object's velocity and acceleration must be in the same direction (particularly motion under gravity with upwards velocity and downwards acceleration) 120
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 04/06/2026I don't think it's trivial! Here is how I did it with my Y12 earlier this year: 010
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 03/06/2026Not quite what you asked, but when you use the normal approximations to the non parametric tests you do indeed need to use continuity corrections. 110
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 17/03/2026My seventh year of teaching and I got to teach moments for the first time this week! I've taught A Level every year but somehow never taught this bit of the spec. 170
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 13/03/2026Some fun deriving the mean and variance of the geometric distribution with 12FM today. Next week we will try and derive the Poisson distribution! 022
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 06/02/2026I like to say "We haven't seen enough evidence to convince us that H0 is false (yet)". 120
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 04/02/2026A long discussion with Year 13 today about why we can't say a calculated 95% confidence interval has a 95% probability of containing the mean. Gosh I wish we just taught Bayesian statistics instead! 041
Reposted by Swinton MathsSarah Denison @sarahdenisonmei.bsky.social · 19/01/2026Big change from Oxford University! For 2027 entry onwards they will use the TMUA (October sitting) for maths and not the MAT. I am off to update SUMS magazine for current Year 12 students 😂 @meimaths.bsky.social www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/u... 51510
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 14/01/2026matrixcalc.org is very handy for quick matrix calculations!matrixcalc.orgMatrix calculatorMatrix addition, multiplication, inversion, determinant and rank calculation, transposing, bringing to diagonal, row echelon form, exponentiation, LU Decomposition, QR-decomposition, Singular Value De... 120
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 14/01/2026Mistake is on the first line, I think. Once you've done column operations to replace the first column, you can't then use the original version of the first column in another operation to replace the third column. 220
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 14/01/2026A fair point! But the mechanical repetitiveness of performing the tests seems a bit pointless. Some of the exam questions are better and do a lot of that work for them. 000
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 13/01/2026I marked some homework on chi squared tests today. It really frustrates me that students have to do these sorts of tests by hand when of course in reality they are all done by computer. 111
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 13/01/2026At my previous school we used them for everything, across KS4 and KS5. Main drawback was lack of autonomy for teachers, but we made them collaboratively and updated them every year so there was some sense of ownership. Lots of benefits. 020
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 11/01/2026I did this course when I was in sixth form. I thought it was quite good (I didn't pay anything when I did it, I don't know what the situation is now). www.coursera.org/learn/game-t...coursera.orgGame TheoryLearn the fundamentals of game theory and strategic decision-making in this course. Explore concepts like Nash equilibrium, dominant strategies, and applications in economics and social behavior. Enro... 030
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 11/01/2026Of course students should know they should use the unbiased estimate for population variance when conducting hypothesis tests or constructing confidence intervals; although even there it seems a moot point as the test is inexact and we should be doing a t test anyway! 010
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 11/01/2026I think it introduced needless ambiguity. It's entirely reasonable to expect students to calculate both the sample and population variance and understand the difference between the two; but examiners should make it clear which is being asked for. 220
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 10/01/2026I talk about the idea of a "fictitious force", for example being on a roundabout in a playground and feeling a "force" pushing you outwards. But when we do problems it's always just finding the resultant force towards the centre of the circle. 210
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Marking Year 10 trigonometry homework - one of them has accidentally had his calculator in gradians! First time for everything... 161
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 30/12/2025There's been some good ones this year. If I had to choose it would be Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. I loved his second book too and looking forward to the third next year. 011
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 19/12/2025Whenever I get asked if we're doing something fun, my response is always "Aren't all of my lessons fun?" 140
Reposted by Swinton MathsThe Maths Bazaar @themathsbazaar.bsky.social · 18/12/2025Unexpected email from Jonny Griffiths telling me there's a new 2026 update of his RISPS book, that's great investigations for impressionable A Level students. Download it now from www.risps.co.uk with links to Geogebra and Excel files @jonny-griffiths.bsky.social 13011
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 18/12/2025Solutions for 2001 STEP III now on my website! That's now 1994-2001 done. Once I've done 2002 and 2003 it should become easier as 2004 is when official solutions become available. swintonmaths.co.uk/indexphp/ste...swintonmaths.co.ukSTEP Solutions – Swinton Maths 010
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 23/11/2025On a walk today I got to see the rather impressive Colne Valley Viaduct which will carry HS2 trains in the future. 021
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 16/11/2025Year 10 homework this week included the classic question "how many piano tuners are there London?". Answers ranged from 6 to 4000! 000
Reposted by Swinton MathsCantabKitty @cantabkitty.bsky.social · 31/10/2025Happy/Merry/Blessed Halloween/Samhain/Spooky Season to all who celebrate! 1175
Reposted by Swinton MathsHarry @cipher-challenge.bsky.social · 15/09/2025Just a few days now until the 2025 National Cipher Challenge opens for registration! If you know someone aged 11-18 who might like codes and ciphers (or who might not yet know that they do!) then get them to take a look at www.cipherchallenge.org on Thursday.cipherchallenge.orgRegistration opens 18th September 2025. Competition starts 9th October 2025. 033
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 30/07/2025I see all these posts about Banda machines and even with Google I'm still pretty clueless about what they are. 121
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 05/07/2025I also acquired some homemade chutney and a book about the history of the village. 000
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 05/07/2025I won a coconut on a coconut shy today! What an exciting village fete. 110
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 19/06/2025I like to do lessons with my A Level groups where I ban calculators sometimes. It is often surprising who copes and who doesn't. 120
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 19/06/2025I think that's exactly the same as what my previous school did 🙂 010
Swinton Maths @mrsmaths.bsky.social · 22/05/2025I have a colleague that does that - he showed me his resources this year. Something I'm keen on trying next year (if I teach Year 9 again!). 010