Our Royal Institution Mathematics Masterclasses are super-curricular classes designed to stimulate and encourage young people in the art and practice of mathematics. Jointly organised with Edinburgh Napier University and Heriot-Watt University, our Royal Institution Masterclasses are designed to inspire keen and talented S2 pupils from all over Scotland. Classes are led by top experts from academia and industry, and cover a broad range of topics.The Edinburgh Mathematics Masterclasses series runs in the spring term, typically starting in January. Each session features a different speaker. Classes are highly interactive and a great opportunity for pupils to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Royal Institution webpage How to take partSchools from across Scotland are directly invited to nominate S2 pupils to take part in the series. Parents cannot nominate their child directly, but are encouraged to speak to their child's teacher if they are interested. Pupils are selected based on their enthusiasm for mathematics and their work ethic rather than purely on their mathematical ability.2026 MasterclassesPlease find the programme including speakers and topics that will be covered in the upcoming series listed below. This may change and participants will be notified via email if this is the case. 2026 Programme 24 January10:00 - 11:30Online via ZoomCharli Austin"Patterns in Animals"Have you ever wondered how a tiger gets its stripes, or a cheetah gets its spots? How can nature keep creating these random looking patterns over and over again? Well, famous mathematician Alan Turing had the same question and his answer all boiled down to some very clever maths (and a bit of biology). In this masterclass we’ll dive into so called “Turing patterns”, learning how maths can explain and replicate some of the patterns we see in animal fur and elsewhere in nature. We’ll talk about how the smallest change can turn one pattern into another and even have a go at creating some of the patterns ourselves, using the rules that nature gives us!31 January10:00 - 11:30Online via ZoomGerben Oling"The Mathematics of Music and the Music of Black Holes"Have you ever wondered why you can hear the difference between a guitar and a piano? Even when they’re playing the same note, musical instruments can sound quite different. In this session, we’ll talk about the different sounds you can get from a string like the ones on a piano or a guitar, and we’ll discover the mathematical ratios hidden in them. We’ll then turn our eyes and ears to the skies and discuss how we can detect collisions of black holes by listening very carefully to the vibrations of space and time. 7 February10:00 - 11:30Online via ZoomErik Hormann"How Mathematicians See Infinity"How many natural numbers are there? And what about perfect squares? These are some of the fascinating questions that we will answer in the masterclass about infinity. Infinity is not only an elusive philosophical concept, but also a prolific mathematical topic that was formalised and conceptualised in its modern version in the late 19th century.We will also consider the famous paradox of how a fully booked hotel can accommodate a few extra stranded guests. This may seem like an unsolvable problem, but if your hotelier is a mathematician, there's always wiggle room to manoeuvre! 28 February10:00 - 12:20Heriot-Watt UniversityJennifer Power"Spirographs"Abstract TBA 7 March10:00 - 12:20Edinburgh Napier UniversityStathis Tingas"Predicting the Future with Mathematics " How can we use mathematics to predict the future? In this session, we will explore "Dynamical Systems"—the study of how things change over time. We will look at how we can turn real-world problems into mathematical models. Using the computer labs, we will run our own simulations to see how these systems evolve and learn how mathematics helps us understand the world around us. 14 March10:00 - 13:00University of EdinburghAna Rita Pires"The Maths of 2D Surfaces"Abstract TBACertificate ceremony will follow the session The Edinburgh Maths Circle is kindly sponsored by the Glasgow Mathematical Journal Trust. This article was published on 2025-04-22
