Talks, etc.
I regularly give talks and run workshops for groups of all ages. If you'd like me to do something at your event, drop me an email.
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine
![](javascript:showlimage("menace.jpg"))
Me talking about MENACE.
The aim of this talk is to explain the basics of machine learning, using MENACE—the machine educable noughts and crosses engine.
During this talk, the audience will play a game of noughts and crosses against a pile of 304 matchboxes.
MENACE is explained in this blog post and these two Matt Parker videos (guest starring me).
There is also a video of me giving a short talk about MENACE here.
This talk is best when it is around 45–60 minutes long, although I have also run an extended two-and-a-half hour version of it as a Royal Institution masterclass.
Making mathematical braids
This talk/workshop leads the audience on an investigation based around the problem outlined in this blog post.
![](javascript:showlimage("braiding.jpg"))
Me talking about braiding.
In this talk, I explain how to make a braid with a cardboard octogon, by repeatedly moving the third strand of wool.
The talk then moves on to look at which other numbers could be used in the place of 8 (the number of sides) and 3 (the strand).
This investigation leads to a discussion of factors, multiples, and coprime numbers and encourages the audience to make and test their own conjectures.
It has been described as "very engaging" and a "wonderful enrichment activity", which leads audiences to be "still pondering over a theory" long after the talk.
This talk is best when it is around an hour long, although I also have an extended two-and-a-half hour version of it that I have run as a Royal Institution masterclass.
Over-analysing video games
This talk explores a few bits of maths applied to video games, including
calculating the shortest route to complete a level of Pac-Man (based on this blog post),
and the 3D and 4D surfaces that characters in 2D games live on (based on this blog post).
There is a video of me giving this talk here.
This talk is best when it is around 45 minutes long.
Tube map Platonic solids
In this talk, I prove that there are exactly 5 Platonic solids, and make a selection of them out of London tube maps.
Much of the content of this talk is covered in these blog posts.
The main focus of this talk is Euclid's proof that there are exactly 5 Platonic solids; the talk uses this as a nice introduction to the importance of proof.
This talk is best when it is around a 30 minutes long.
Approximating with polynomials
In this talk, I look at some properties of polynomials and how functions can be approximated using polynomials, including a surprise appearance of Runge's phenomenon.
This talk is best when it is around a 45 minutes long.
Below, you will find a list of many talks and workshops I have given, articles I have written, and other things I've been in/on, sorted by year.
I also have a scrapbook page where I collect articles about me or mentioning me.
2025
Selected talks & workshops
Maths at the video game arcade (Maths Fest: 3, 4, 5 February, The Royal Institution; 27 February, Kensington Town Hall)
2024
Selected talks & workshops
The databet (MathsJam Gathering) [slides]
Maths at the video game arcade (Maths Inspiration: 5 November, Portsmouth; 20 November, Nottingham)
Articles & puzzles
Chalkdust crossnumber #19 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 19)
Chalkdust crossnumber #20 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 20)
#50: Puzzle-by-numbers [with TD Dang] (New Scientist)
Videos
2023
Selected talks & workshops
Can we just use a polynomial instead? (GCSE Maths In Action: 7 March, London)
Over-analysing video games (Maths In Action: 9 March, London; 17 November, B'ham; 7 December, London)
MENACE (Experimental Life, Edinbugh Science Festival)
MENACE: state-of-the-art machine learning in 1961 (60 years of computer science and AI, University of Edinburgh)
Maths at the video game arcade (Maths Inspiration: 4 December, Saffron Walden; 5 December, Cambridge)
TV & radio
QI XL: Ticks, Tax, Toes (BBC2)
Articles & puzzles
Chalkdust crossnumber #17 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 17)
Chalkdust crossnumber #18 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 18)
Cryptic #6 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 18)
Videos
Beware the Runge Spikes! [animations/Geogebra] (YouTube: standupmaths)
2022
Selected talks & workshops
Machine learning with a pile of matchboxes (Electromagnetic Field 2022)
Over-analysing video games (Maths In Action:
14 November, Warwick;
18 November, London;
24 November, London)
Can we just use a polynomial instead? (GCSE Maths In Action:
15 November, Warwick;
2 December, London)
Runge's phenomenon (MathsJam Gathering) [slides]
Articles & puzzles
xor-full (Crossnumbers Quarterly 21)
Chalkdust crossnumber #15 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 15)
Chalkdust crossnumber #16 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 16)
Cryptic #4 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 16)
Videos
Events
Clopen Mic Night #2: Clopen Winterval (organisation and behind-the-scenes)
Clopen Mic Night #3: Clopen Sept (organisation and behind-the-scenes)
24 Hour Maths Game Show (organisation)
2021
Selected talks & workshops
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (Computer Science in Action)
Articles & puzzles
Chalkdust crossnumber #13 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 13)
On the cover: cellular automata (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 13)
Chalkdust crossnumber #14 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 14)
Cryptic #2 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 14)
Videos
Events
Clopen Mic Night #1 (organisation and behind-the-scenes)
2020
Selected talks & workshops
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (Computer Science in Action)
Articles & puzzles
Chalkdust crossnumber #11 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 11)
Chalkdust issue 11 puzzle hunt #1 (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust issue 11 puzzle hunt #4 (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
The Big Lock-Down Math-Off, Match 12: Interesting Tautologies (The Aperiodical)
Chalkdust crossnumber #12 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 12)
Oπnions: Should I share my code? (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 12)
Podcasts
Videos
Events
24 Hour Maths Magic Show (organisation)
2019
Selected talks & workshops
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (BBC Click Live, Hay Festival)
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (Computer Science in Action)
Why and how I wrote a LaTeX package (MathsJam Gathering)
Articles & puzzles
Chalkdust crossnumber #9 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 9)
On the cover: Harriss spiral [with Edmund Harriss] (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 9)
realhats: Writing a LaTeΧ package (The Aperiodical)
Chalkdust editorial game (De Morgan Newsletter 2018/19)
Puzzle #02: Getting past the freight train (New Scientist)
Review of Problem Solving in GCSE Mathematics (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #10 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 10)
Podcasts
Talkdust 2: Jason Lotalk (editing)
Talkdust 3: Talky Saturday (editing)
Talkdust 4: Talking issue 09 (editing)
Odds and Evenings 31: Cards, competitions and celebrations (guest co-host)
Awards & nominations
Videos
2018
Selected talks & workshops
Bad stats in the news (Maths in Action)
Mathematics and video games (Electromagnetic Field 2018) [video]
Mathsteroids (MathsJam Gathering)
Articles & puzzles
Power-Up review (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #7 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 7)
The new Chalkdust T-shirt (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Review of Galois Knot Theory (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
The Big Internet Math-Off Round 1 – Matt Parker v Matthew Scroggs (The Aperiodical)
Carnival of mathematics 162 (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #8 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 8)
Chalkdust: Dirichlet's dairy (De Morgan Newsletter 2017/18)
Podcasts
Wrong, But Useful episode 61 (special guest co-host)
Talkdust 1: Talk and cheese (editing)
2017
Selected talks & workshops
Making mathematical braids (FMSP Area Co-ordinators Conference)
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (RI Masterclass Organisers' Conference)
Making mathematical braids (2017 MEI Conference)
Big Ben Strikes Again (MathsJam Gathering)
Bad stats in the news (Maths in Action)
Articles & puzzles
Is MEDUSA the new BODMAS? [with Adam Townsend] (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #5 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 5)
On the cover: dragon curves (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 5)
Review of Elastic Numbers (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
How many quadratics factorise? [with Adam Townsend] (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #6 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 6)
In conversation with Cédric Villani [with Yiannis Simillides & TD Dang] (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 6)
Videos
Day 2: Revenge of MENACE (YouTube: Matt Parker)
Awards & nominations
2016
Selected talks & workshops
Making mathematical braids (FMSP's maths arts and crafts teachers' day)
Four stories about recreational maths: MENACE, @mathslogicbot, Pac-Man and bouncing (Electromagnetic Field 2016) [video]
Building a MENACE machine (MATRIX Conference) [video]
Making mathematical braids (Inspiring Women in Mathematics, Imperial College London)
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (MathsJam Gathering) [slides]
Articles & puzzles
The Mathematical Games of Martin Gardner (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 3)
Chalkdust crossnumber #3 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 3)
Carnival of mathematics 133 (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Stopping distances in the Highway Code are wrong [with Adam Townsend] (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #4 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 4)
Visualising Mathematics with 3D Printing (book review) (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Awards & nominations
2015
Selected talks & workshops
MENACE: the machine educable noughts and crosses engine (Chaos Computer Camp (CCC)) [write up]
How to set a Chalkdust crossnumber (MathsJam Gathering) [slides]
Articles & puzzles
Optimal Pac-Man (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 1)
Chalkdust crossnumber #1 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 1)
For the love of puzzles (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Puzzles on square grids (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
Chalkdust crossnumber #2 (Chalkdust Magazine, issue 2)
How much will I win on the new National Lottery? (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
How to kick a conversion (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
@mathslogicbot (Chalkdust Magazine blog)
2014
Talks & workshops
Recreational maths in a field: flexagons, folding tube maps, braiding & sine curves (Electromagnetic Field 2014) [write up]
© Matthew Scroggs 2012–2024