These are the show notes for episode 56 of the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast. 56 is the 6th tetrahedral number, meaning it is the sum of the first six triangular numbers. More about tetrahedral numbers from thesaurus.maths.org.

This week on the podcast I spoke to Edmund Harriss of the University of Leicester, and we discussed a range of topics around enthusing people about mathematics and how mathematical ideas are developed and taught.

Ptolemy Mathcards were designed by Edmund and Chaim Goodman-Strauss. You can find out about the creation and development of mathematical ideas by investigating the history of mathematics. A good place to start is The British Society for the History of Mathematics. If you are interested in the use of history in mathematics teaching, try the BSHM Education site.

You can find out more about Edmund’s work in tiling patterns and maths outreach by listening to episode 55 of the podcast. I recommend Edmund’s blog Maxwell’s Demon, and following Edmund on Twitter as @Gelada.

You can find out more about the IMA by visiting http://www.ima.org.uk/student/. You can find out more about what I do by reading this blog, by following me on Twitter or visiting peterrowlett.net. Join the Travels in a Mathematical World Podcast Facebook Fan Page.