Dr Tom Crawford
@tomrocksmaths
Followers
14K
Following
5K
Media
2K
Statuses
4K
Mathematician @UniofOxford AND @Cambridge_Uni, @OxfordConted, @Numberphile, @YouTube 'Creator on the Rise', Naked Mathematician, @TedX Speaker, Maths Tattoos.
Oxford, UK
Joined January 2017
Based on Harvard's famed introductory course in computer science taught by @davidjmalan, @cs50 is now available @OxfordConted. The world's most popular online course has crossed the pond @UniofOxford with some help from yours truly.
4
8
54
PLEASE SHARE BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT. 1 infection today leads to 1296 in one month without social distancing. Stay at home to reduce your exposure by 50% and the number of infections drops to only 19. The numbers don't lie. Stay at home and stay safe. #COVID19 #coronavirus
18
233
440
The great hyperboloid of La Sagrada Familia. The shape captures light and funnels it to create the golden triangle on the ceiling. The equation for a hyperboloid is x^2 / a^2 + y^2 / b^2 - z^2 / c^2 = +/- 1. Incredible to see this used to create such beautiful architecture!
9
30
406
Tattoo #50 - Genus 3 surface as drawn by Maryam Mirzakhani. As the first woman to win the Fields Medal, she was, and will always continue to be, an inspiration.
3
24
318
I love finding any maths in the wild, but this one is a real gem! A piecewise solution to the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation found at Besselpark in Berlin. The park is named after Friedrich Bessel who developed Bessel functions, which describe the waves on the surface of a drum.
6
15
248
The perfect Saturday - nothing but maths! Thanks to @robeastaway for the copy of his new book @newscientist Head Scratchers: a delightful selection of puzzles guaranteed to keep you entertained for days… and the perfect companion for my Complex Analysis problem sets!
4
23
204
Of course there’s a magic square at La Sagrada Familia… each row, column and diagonal add up to 33 - the age of Jesus Christ when he was crucified. The whole building relies on maths so look out for more posts explaining the key mathematical features of this beautiful building!
6
22
203
NEW VIDEO: Inner Product Spaces, Bilinear Forms, and Sesquilinear Forms. Important concepts not only in Linear Algebra, but also in topics from Physics such as Quantum Theory. Premieres today at 5pm (GMT+1) - see you in the live chat!.
1
16
189
An early Christmas present for you all with possibly the biggest ever STEM collaboration on @YouTube featuring @veritasium, @3blue1brown and @mathemaniac - organised by @FlammableMaths. And if that wasn't enough, I sing (3:05 in case you were wondering).
3
19
176
Have you ever wondered what is really going on inside your cup of tea? No, me neither. BUT, fortunately for all of us, TRM intern Hugh Simmons has. And they found a lot more than they bargained for - Chaos, Convection and Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability.
6
21
175
I HAVE A NEW OFFICE!! Exciting announcement coming next week on my new role @UniofOxford - watch this space :)
6
2
154
Tattoo #35 - Maxwell’s Equations of Electromagnetism. Taking the curl of the first 2 equations, and combining with the second 2 equations, means both the Electric Field E and the Magnetic Field B satisfy the wave equation. This is how mathematicians showed that light is a wave.
12
8
127
Tattoo #30: Pi. This was to commemorate my 10th video on Numberphile - we're now on 12 with (at least) 2 more on the way. Thanks to @BradyHaran for putting up with me and allowing me to share my passion for maths with you all :)
4
6
129
I made another @numberphile thing. How can you have a shape with a finite volume (equal to pi, naturally) but infinite surface area? I do the maths so you don't have to. @PeteMcPartlan slayed the animations on this one!!
17
17
129
HELLO MATHS FANS!! Dream team lineup recording lectures today @OxfordConted to be released online in the ‘Maths Fan Lecture Series’. You can look forward to talks from @simonoxfphys, @numberphile‘s @jamesgrime and @sophiemacmaths, and @robeastaway. Online tickets available soon!
6
9
127
NEW @numberphile VIDEO: "all hell breaks loose" as I explain how to make sense of a number to the power of a matrix. Probably the most mathematical video I've made with Numberphile so you all need to watch if you want more content like this!.
4
21
128
NEW VIDEO: exponential growth explained in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic. One infection now can cause up to 1296 in 30 days without social distancing. Reduce exposure by 50% and that number drops to only 19. #StayAtHome #covid19UK #coronavirus.
1
75
109
Look who I found - it’s non-other than @jamesgrime aka Mr Numberphile! James has kindly agreed to help me film a video in Cambridge which will feature 2 truths and a lie about Isaac Newton… Coming to the Tom Rocks Maths @YouTube channel very soon!!
4
1
118
Tattoo #32 - Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. The error in the measurement of momentum multiplied by the error in the measurement of position is greater than zero for a quantum particle. In other words we can never know both the momentum and position exactly. Quantum is weird.
5
6
110
Gaudí’s hanging weights at La Sagrada Família. Due to gravity the string forms a shape which minimises its energy by spreading out the weight as much as possible. Gaudí realised that if you turn this upside down you have the strongest possible shape for an arch or dome. Genius.
4
12
111
ACTUAL ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MATHS!! I’m far too excited about this so even though the fact that I’m in Egypt to film a video was meant to be a surprise, I guess I just gave it away. So damn cool.
7
10
103
Tattoo #21 - the time-dependent potential vorticity equation. This was the main result of my PhD thesis, which connects the vorticity (whirlpool-like rotation labelled alpha) of a river outflow with its depth (labelled H). Time-dependence verified by my experimental results :)
4
4
97
Tattoo #46 - Light as both a wave and a particle. The sinusoidal shape represents the wave-like behaviour of light, whilst the dots represent individual photons. Tattoo by Nat Von B at Tattoo Crazy Cambridge.
4
2
87
For those of you that are new here, I'm a mathematician @UniofOxford where I teach the undergrads and visiting students @StEdmundHall. I'm also apparently now @YouTube's 'Creator on the Rise' for the next 24 hours. Absolute scenes. Check out what I do here
5
3
93
When your nails match your COVID vaccine sticker… Happy to have had my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine - bring on dose number 2 so we can return to some kind of normality please :) #tomrockmaths #vaccine #vaccination #CovidVaccine #GetVaccinated
6
2
90
What happens when you do calculus without the infinitely small?. TRM intern Gavin explores the idea of 'Finite Calculus' in great detail, introducing falling factorials and the difference operator. Truly incredible maths, but not for the faint hearted!.
4
17
90
I didn't think I could be any more excited about my new role @OxfordConted, and then they go and create a news article announcing my appointment. Watch this space for news on upcoming online Maths courses, and a weekend Maths extravaganza in early 2024!.
5
13
93
The LEGEND that is @3blue1brown stopped by for a chat in Oxford earlier this year and agreed to take part in what I'm calling 'Maths Speed Dating'. Covering embarrassing moments, party tricks, recklessness, adventure, aliens and some amount of maths.
1
8
88
It ends… 127 kilometres and 17 hours of running later we arrive @StEdmundHall Oxford, having started @QueensCam Cambridge. Quite why I decided to do this I will never know, but you all get to watch me suffer in a new YouTube video coming soon :)
4
2
79
What an awesome morning of filming with the brilliant @simonoxfphys. Maths Speed Dating episode coming soon - and another little surprise out tomorrow :)
1
1
81
Just out here protecting the streets from bad mathematics… you’ve been warned.
1
1
78
I've spent the past 3 hours doing some very important mathematical calculations that have led me to the following conclusion: ⚽➡️🏠.
8
4
77
Incredibly happy to announce that I've won an award courtesy of OxTALENT at the @UniofOxford in the category of Outreach and Widening Participation. Thanks to you all for the support and here's to many more exciting times for Tom Rocks Maths!
7
3
78
Merry Christmas Maths fans!! How many pinecones can you spot in the photo? And is it a prime number?
9
5
78
I’M ON A PLANE!! I’ll be on holiday for the next 2 weeks so won’t be posting as I get some much needed rest and relaxation. Stay safe and see you all soon :)
7
1
75
How do you create a tsunami in the lab? @SauretLab and @FAST_Orsay managed to do just that when they investigated how the geometry of a landslide affects the size and shape of the resultant wave. Find out more in my latest entry on the @JFluidMech blog:
1
15
72
NEW VIDEO: Teaching Fluid Dynamics to @3blue1brown. An absolute cracker to start off 2021 as I explain potential flow and the method of images to the legend that is Grant Sanderson. Featuring lots of nice diagrams and general maths nerdiness. enjoy :) .
5
10
75
Explaining my mathematical tattoos for @DoctorKarl. how many others do you recognise on my arm?
4
9
71
Questioning my life decisions in Sweden. If the sauna was 70 degrees, the outside temperature -10 degrees and the water 5 degrees, what is the total change of temperature I feel when going from the sauna, to the lake, in the water, and then back to the sauna?
10
3
72
When in Rio… Excited to be in Brazil to catch up with friends and see the sights! But first, some maths. Coconut water is 95% water and 4% carbohydrates, so how much would I need to drink to reach the NHS recommended daily intake of 260 grams?
7
1
70
Not the usual day of filming, but as always had a lot of fun writing on brown paper. New @numberphile videos coming soon :)
2
1
73
VERY excited to release the second video from @3blue1brown's visit @UniofOxford earlier this year. Grant brought along a power tower puzzle for us to solve using Python, @Desmos and cobweb maps - enjoy!
2
12
68
This is my personal polynomial and it's awesome!! The value at x=1 is 20 and T is the 20th letter of the alphabet. The value at x=2 is 15 and o is the 15th letter of the alphabet etc. Thanks to @jamestanton for showing me this - calculate your own here:
6
10
68
This is @cs50 in Oxford. What a day @stedmundhall with almost 200 people at the inaugural @UniofOxford cs50 hackathon. And just look at the giant ducks!!
4
4
74
My friend just had his wedding photos developed and I think this one sums it up nicely - summer wedding chic complete with double aperol spritz. The temperature that day was 250% of the current 12 degrees Celsius in Oxford. How hot was it?
11
1
70
MERRY CHRISTMAS from @tomrocksmaths xxx. In true ‘Naked Mathematician’ style, I’ll be posting some holiday-themed photos for the 12 Days of Christmas from today until January 5th. I hope you all have the best day ever filled with mathematical delight :)
9
3
63
What a wonderful experience to film with the brilliant @davidjmalan from the phenomena that is @cs50 at Harvard University. Very excited to share the videos with you all in the coming months :)
2
2
69
It's my birthday this weekend which means I would usually now be boarding a plane to spend it on holiday with my friends. Since it's 2020, here's a throwback to last year's festivities instead. (I have no idea who or what this toy is, but I like it).
16
1
64
1 MILLION @YouTube VIEWS. In genuine disbelief this has happened - you are all amazing and I love you each and everyone of you. To celebrate here’s a very young me looking pretty pleased with himself after winning a bridge building competition. Let's never stop making maths fun.
6
3
68
This legend travelled 80km just to come to Heidelberg to say hello, so when he asked for a ‘Naked Mathematician’ photo I couldn’t really say no… you guys are amazing :).#HLF21
2
1
65
Come see my new department @OxfordConted where I am officially the Public Engagement Lead :). Pick a course you want to study at and let's hang out @UniofOxford !!
12
4
63
HAPPY NEW YEAR MATHS FANS (from Sarajevo)!! May 2023 be your most mathematical year to date. Using only mathematical symbols/operations, what is the largest number you can create with the four digits 2, 0, 2, 3?
14
4
63
HAPPY NEW YEAR - May your 2022 be filled with endless mathematical joy and discovery :). Here's to having even more fun bringing maths to the masses on @YouTube. 100k subs isn't too far away (fingers crossed), what do you want to see for the livestream celebration?
4
0
63
HE COPIED MY TATTOO. I knew you lot were amazing, but this is next level. Bumped into each other on the train and of course had to get a photo. Thanks to you all for loving maths as much as I do <3
1
2
65
Dracula’s castle (aka Bran castle in Romania). Since the publication of the original story by Bram Stoker in 1897, Count Dracula has featured in over 200 films, making him the second most popular character of all time. Any ideas who the first might be?
14
2
62
When in Rome… but did you know the colosseum isn’t a circle? Historians believe the elliptical shape was chosen as it allows for a larger area with fewer building materials - doubling the area of a circle gives a much larger perimeter than building an ellipse of the same area.
5
0
62
I’ve made it back from my holidays :) and to celebrate here’s pretty much the only vacation photo I took - after running around the ancient Olympic stadium in Rhodes. At 210m the track is just over half of the length used today but in 36 degree heat it was still a tough lap!
3
1
60
MERRY CHRISTMAS MATHS FANS!! I hope Santa brings you never-ending mathematical delight. For a Christmas puzzle, assuming 1000 people per night come to the Moulin Rouge, and the venue has been open since 6th October 1889, can you tell me how people in total have visited?
4
0
59
GCSE Maths won't know what's hit it! Join me and the @MathsAppeal dream team @Bobby_Seagull and @DoTheMathsThing over the next 6 weeks as we present our favourite topics in entirely new ways. Featuring @WestHam, @usainbolt and @wilfriedzaha. Learn maths like never before!
1
19
59
One of my students photographed my tattoos for the Oxford Mathematics Online Exhibition and I'm sure you'll agree the results are awesome. Very pleased to see the work awarded a commendation too! .
4
4
57
Great to be back in front of a live audience at Cheney School In Oxford last week talking million-dollar equations - my first in-person talk since September 2020. Hope you all had as much fun as I did!
0
1
58
Just two mathematicians hanging out in Uzbekistan. Nothing to see here… (not even 0).
0
0
58
NEW VIDEO: Explaining the SIR model for disease spread applied to COVID-19/Coronavirus. Even with the simplest of mathematical models, the importance of social distancing is incredibly clear. WATCH BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT!! #COVID19 #coronavirus .
5
22
55
Happening this Friday (May 12th) in London (and online) - I'll be speaking about my experience as a tattooed academic and sharing some of the maths behind my tattoos at "Inked Up, Marked Out". Registration is FREE - sign-up at the link below.
4
3
54
Your favourite mathematicians are back - this time trying to make sense Lewis Carroll's ‘Game of Logic’ whilst playing on an original 150 year old copy of the game board. Huge thanks to @sehlibrary for giving us access to such a treasure! Video with @jamesgrime coming soon :)
4
10
56
Loved being back in front of a live audience (socially distanced of course) earlier this week @HockerillColl. Thanks for hosting my Millennium Problems talk - hopefully we'll see a million-dollar prize winner from Bishop's Stortford in the not-too-distant future!
2
3
55
When in Bruges… today Belgians drink an average of 68 litres of beer per year. This was as high as 200 litres in 1900. If we assume the same linear progression continues, in what year will Belgium become beer free?
7
0
56
It’s not everyday you receive an envelope in the post marked “Top Secret”… I’ve been having a lot of fun today trying to solve the @GCHQ Christmas Challenge - you can find the puzzles in the second photo or get a PDF copy here:
7
11
55
Remember to join in the Pi Day celebrations tomorrow @idm314 with online sessions in English, French and Spanish starting at 2pm GMT. My talk on 'Using Maths to Clean our Oceans' starts at 2:45pm. See you there!!.
3
20
53
Tattoo #9 - Julia Set Fractal. Fractals are patterns that repeat forever on a smaller and smaller scale, so if you continue to zoom in on the image it will repeat indefinitely. We couldn't quite manage this with my tattoo but I'm sure you'll agree @ButtNathanial did a great job!
3
3
55
Cleaning up our oceans using Maths - live interview with BBC Radio Oxford. 80% of marine pollution comes from the land via rivers, and so by understanding where river water goes, we can focus our clean-up efforts on the most susceptible areas. #pollution #plasticpollution #ocean
1
16
49
On the second day of Christmas, I'm drinking mulled wine. Certainly helping with the sugar and alcohol induced hangover from yesterday. How are you spending your Boxing Day?
6
1
51
And so it begins… a 7-day trek to attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa. We will be ascending 4157m and covering 62km. Wish me luck!!
2
0
49
It begins… Running from @QueensCam Cambridge where I studied for my PhD to @StEdmundHall Oxford where I now work. 61km down on day 1, 66km to go tomorrow. Video diary and GoPro footage to follow - wish me luck!
6
2
49
Just your usual photo shoot with a Rubik’s Cube… Happy Monday :)
3
3
48
NEW VIDEO: A trailer for the video coming this Thursday (8th September). Watch me attempt the Maths section of the American SAT Exam with the usual zero preparation. And @SparksMaths, I'm going to beat you this time (even though it's obviously not a competition).
4
4
52
Cancel your Thursday plans. We're baking pi-shaped pies. IT'S PI DAY 2024!. Premieres on @YouTube at 5pm (GMT) on 3-14.
2
8
52
The Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen, aka the “black diamond”. It holds 42.5 million items making it the 9th largest library in the world. The Danish population is only 5.8 million which means more than 7 books per person. Which ones make your list?
3
4
50
Did you know that approximately 20,000 bikes are pulled out of Amsterdam’s canals every year? That’s ~400 per week, or ~50 per day, or ~2 every hour… madness. Let’s hope there aren’t people on them when they end up in the water!
2
1
50
Let the book writing begin!! Stay tuned for updates :)
2
1
53
Say hello to the newest member of the @AstonMartinF1 Team (I wish!!). It was a lot of fun being in the garage during practice in Barcelona, and as a fellow fluid dynamicist I have an incredible amount of admiration for the aero performance team in particular. Go racing green!!
7
0
47
Shoutout to @EdinMathSoc for coming out this afternoon to hear about my PhD research on modelling ocean pollution. I had a blast!!
3
1
49
My first 100k video!!! I would rather it happened in different circumstances, but it's great to see so many people want to learn more about the mathematical modelling being used to aid decision-making in the current crisis. Look out for another SIR model video coming later today!
7
9
51
The right-angled triangles used for the pattern in Fed Square have base length 2, height 1, and hypotenuse root 5. If you combine five of the smallest triangles together, you create another larger triangle with the same ratio of side lengths. The best street art in Melbourne :)
1
7
50
Warming up at Therme Bucharest - which contains Europe’s largest urban beach with 30,000 square metres of fine sand. Approximately how many grains of sand would you find there?
4
1
49
Today is officially the first day of my new role @StEdmundHall as an Early Career Teaching and Outreach Fellow. Excited would be an understatement. Thanks to everyone for their support so far, and here's to the next 3 years!!
5
2
48
HAPPY NEW YEAR from @tomrocksmaths. May you get everything you want and nothing that you deserve. And let's keep rocking maths into 2021 and beyond :)
3
2
50
Calling all @UniofOxford students with an interest in science communication/public engagement - I HAVE MONEY TO PAY YOU TO WORK WITH ME FOR 6 WEEKS THIS SUMMER. Can you tell I'm excited? Applications open soon. More info here:
3
22
50
NEW VIDEO: The Scientific Way to Cut a Pizza. Watch me attempt to cut a pizza into the theoretical maximum of 22 pieces using only 6 straight-line cuts. Full explanation of the maths here:
5
5
48
Little Mermaid statue, Copenhagen. The fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen span 9 volumes with 156 stories. He lived until the age of 70, so assuming he started writing at the age of 20, how many stories did he write each year? And more importantly why is the answer pi?
8
2
47
Thanks to these superstars for coming along to my @Ri_Science Maths Masterclass with @TechFestNews on Saturday morning. Remember if you solve a Millennium Problem my fee is 10%… :p
0
4
49
Happy @GCHQ puzzle day!! Can you solve the 7 puzzles (photo 2) to uncover the 7 UK landmarks? Once you have them all, the map (photo 3) will reveal the secret answer… happy puzzling :)
7
8
51
Audience selfie @Thehexagon after the Maths Inspiration show on Pi Day. 750+ A-level and GCSE students enjoying talks from myself, @Ayliean @SparksMaths and Aoife Hunt. What a way to celebrate all things maths!!
2
2
49