EXPLORING LONDON AND OXFORD

WALKING TOURS TO LONDON AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

Fifth Form and Lower Sixth Form pupils enjoyed an educational mathematical and computational walking tour of central London followed by a fascinating lecture looking at the Maths behind optical illusions.

The walking tour guide took the group to many significant locations in the history of mathematics and computing, from discussing the architecture of Sir Christopher Wren's design of St Paul's Cathedral to visualising Bill Phillips' water computer that simulated the British economy. The Lower Sixth Form Further Maths students had been learning how to approximate functions as polynomials in their Maths lessons before the trip and were thrilled to hear how these same techniques were used to compute logarithm tables, the master copies of which were stored at the government buildings at Somerset House.

The evening lecture at Gresham College was delivered by Alain Goriely, prominent professor of mathematical modelling at the University of Oxford. He examined how optical illusions can be modelled with mathematical functions, including in geometric art such as works by Kandinsky and Klee, as well as unintentional illusions in paintings by Munsch and Rubens. The students were able to recognise many mathematical techniques used in the modelling and enjoyed hearing how illusions could be 'corrected' by applying the opposite effect. Themis and Matthew were able to ask questions of Professor Goriely in the Q&A, with many of our other students taking the opportunity to wait behind at the end to pose further questions.

The intention of the trip was to stretch and challenge our students, and they certainly enjoyed the chance to think beyond the curriculum.

Twelve Fourth Form students, accompanied by Mrs Cubbon and Mrs Wills, spent a rewarding day exploring Oxford. The visit began with a tour of New College, led by Mrs Wills, a former undergraduate. At the Pitt Rivers Museum, students took part in an artefact handling workshop, discussing colonialism, assimilation, and the repatriation of cultural items. A tour of Balliol College, led by a first-year PPE student, concluded with an engaging Q&A about the Oxford application process and student life. The group also visited the Bodleian Library, including Duke Humfrey’s Library, featured as the Hogwarts restricted section in Harry Potter, and the Divinity School. The day included a walking tour, a picnic lunch in University Parks, and a final stop for ice cream.

I really enjoyed the trip to Oxford, especially seeing the Bodleian Library, and learning about the history of the books. I also found it really useful to hear from an undergraduate student about their experience so far.

Daniel, Fourth Form

Thank you for organising this wonderful trip to visit Oxford University. I had the most memorable day. I feel very grateful that I got to see this special place through the eyes of someone who had been a student there. It was so interesting to hear about this university first hand. Oxford University’s Bodleian Library is one of the oldest and largest libraries in Europe. It was so impressive, with its beautifully crafted wooden ceiling. Our very passionate guide shared with us some history about the library, told us about some of the rare books and manuscripts the library owns and shared some fun facts about the library’s links to the Harry Potter films. Through this visit to Oxford University, I have been able to start to appreciate the difference between Oxford and Cambridge universities, understand how the application process works and what the day-to-day life looks like for students studying at Oxford. New College was my favourite College that we visited. The campus seemed expansive with wonderful green spaces.

Jacob, Fourth Form

I was surprised to see how large the University was and integral to the city of Oxford. It was interesting to discover more about the interview process, and the importance of the entrance test when applying.

Thomas, Fourth Form