My love of maths began with an aptitude for puzzling.

To this day, I am
rarely able to resist and brain-teaser a peer poses; often leading to deeper
thought in this topic. I attempt the (mostly) mathematical Maslanka
puzzles set by the Guardian Weekly, partially to hone my thinking but
mostly because I find it fun. The agile thought these puzzles demand was
of use when competing in the Senior Maths Challenge, where I was
amongst the top thousand participants invited to compete in the
Mathematical Olympiad.
In order to extend my mathematical horizons, I was fortunate enough to
attend the Eton College Universities Summer School, where I spent two
weeks after my AS levels. Here I learnt clearly the difference between
knowledge and understanding, as rules that had been taught to me in
school (e.g. the integration equations or collision formulae) were grounded
in algebraic proof that, rewardingly, I was able to manipulate and use to
understand the workings of different problems. My favourite topic during
this time was combinatorics, which I had otherwise not encountered
outside of simple word puzzles where algebra was not required. I was
enthralled by combinatorics as it gave a vast scope for ingenuity when
devising solutions, as any method attempted would invariably lead to
more information if not the correct answer. This methodical refinement of
technique towards the solution of a complex problem was one I found
immensely satisfying.
Away from A level studies, my main source of intrigue has come from Iain
Stewarts Professor Stewarts Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities. This,
and its sequel, acted as a gateway that introduced me to topics like
Fermats last theorem, which I was excited to explore further in Simon
Singhs book. Additionally, I was introduced to game theory, leading me
since to read William Spaniels Game Theory 101. The notion of using
maths and formulae to gain a genuine edge was one that enthralled me
and eventually led me to the similar topic of predictive analytics, in Eric
Siegels book of this title. Here were many examples of vast data being
harnessed, via maths, to economic advantage and to me the fact that
mathematics was the key to wielding this power was exciting and aweinspiring in equal measure.
Maths has also been prevalent in my physics studies. An example of this is
in my A2 physics coursework, where I conducted experiments to
determine the correlation between the size of a crater in sand and the
height of the ball-bearing dropped onto it. Here I was able confidently to
apply mathematics I had learnt (such as linear laws learnt in FP1 and
natural logarithms learnt in Core 2) to a real world situation, which I found
both challenging and enjoyable. Similarly, I am currently studying
planetary motion in my research physics coursework, and am exploring
the maths behind ellipses, gravitational pulls and harmonic motion.
Discovering these new areas of mathematics and crucially how they apply
to the real-world situation of planets has been my favourite part of the
physics course to date.
Outside of academia, my main enthusiasm is in sport. I play cricket at club
level which has taught me teamwork and leadership, but my main sport is
tennis; a game which combines physical and mental agility. In addition, my
hobbies include drumming (which I play to grade 6 standard), juggling and

playing board games. I am also a junior leader at my local church, where I

help plan and lead fortnightly sessions for the Sunday School.
To summarise, for me, maths is not used just a servant to supplement the
other sciences nor a tool to extract the solutions to equations. Maths is my
passion. I cannot wait to delve deeper and explore further.