Anna's Blog

Numbers appear all the time in our lives. I'll use this blog to illustrate how they appear in my daily life and in the wider world.
#19: The Pandemic, Prime Numbers and Taxicab Numbers

#19: The Pandemic, Prime Numbers and Taxicab Numbers

By September 2022 most people I knew had had COVID-19. In our house we had somehow managed to avoid it. However, come the beginning of October, we had both tested positive and were very ill. Now we have both tested negative and feel quite a bit better but still have...

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The Number 55: Fibonacci Numbers & the Role of the Sunflower

The Number 55: Fibonacci Numbers & the Role of the Sunflower

Each post that I have written has been inspired by a number that has occurred naturally during my everyday life. My husband, Howard, and I were cycling out for lunch on what may well be the last sunny day of the year in the UK. Our table at our chosen pub just...

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8,730: A Shortage of Doctors and Odious Numbers

8,730: A Shortage of Doctors and Odious Numbers

We don’t have enough doctors in the UK: we’re about 12,000 short of where we (apparently) should be. In 2019, 8,730 students graduated with a medical degree in the UK. There is a cap on the number as the training is subsidised by the government and also the students...

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Number 40: Harshad Numbers, Keeping Cool and Chicago Cycling

Number 40: Harshad Numbers, Keeping Cool and Chicago Cycling

Last month the temperature in the UK rose above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time. Depending on where you live in the world this may not seem very high. But for many of us it caused a great deal of concern. We were worried about vulnerable people and there were...

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Number 30: Coprime Numbers,  Crete and Food Shows

Number 30: Coprime Numbers, Crete and Food Shows

A couple of weeks ago I went to the BBC Good Food Show at Birmingham NEC with my husband, Howard. This was my first ever visit and I had no idea what to expect. One thing that I did expect (which didn’t happen) was that I’d buy a whole lot of food. To this end I took...

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Number 139: Twitter polls, Mumbai and Deficient Numbers

Number 139: Twitter polls, Mumbai and Deficient Numbers

One thing I do in my spare time is to help out with the twitter for our local cycling campaign. They are an enthusiastic group and I love being involved with something that is so current. As a keen cyclist (tandem) it’s of great interest to me to see improvements for...

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Number 183: A New Fence, Cycling in Belfast and Polite Numbers

Number 183: A New Fence, Cycling in Belfast and Polite Numbers

Part of our hedge has fallen down and we have bought some green industrial fencing to prop it up: this probably sounds horrible but actually looks quite nice and blends in well with the hedge. In the photo above you can see the wood that is propping up the hedge, but...

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Cycling and Seoul Holidays

Cycling and Seoul Holidays

The evenings are getting lighter by the week and we have taken to going cycling more often. It’s fun to go to a country pub, have a couple of drinks and enjoy the scenery. Last time we cycled out to a pub in the evening there were bar snacks on – about £5/each. They...

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