Young people in Bolton with an interest in science and maths visited Bolton School to hear from author, journalist and TV producer Simon Singh about his books. Around 500 pupils from 21 local schools, together with pupils from the Girls’ and Boys’ Divisions, filled the Girls’ Division Great Hall for this fascinating talk.
Simon started with a whistlestop tour of his career, from his PhD in physics to working for the BBC and writing books about maths and science. He has written books on medicine, maths, cryptography, and even the Simpsons! However, he explained that all of his books are connected by the scientific method.
He encouraged those watching to be logical rather than subjective, and to use experiments to understand how the world works. He said that this is how we get closer to the truth.
The talk continued with a brief section about each of his books, starting with the ‘The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets’. Simon shared some of the real, complicated maths hidden in plain sight within the popular TV show by its mathematician creators. He also discussed Fermat’s Last Theorem in some detail, talking about both his book on the subject and the BBC documentary he produced about how the Last Theorem was finally proved by mathematician Andrew Wiles. He spoke more about the scientific method in relation to his book ‘Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial’, and how medicine and alternative medicine can be tested to determine the truth of what works and what does not.
Speaking more broadly about his career, he said that he was inspired to write his books because he wanted to challenge himself, and encouraged the young people listening to do the same. He advised them that if they want to make a difference in the world, they should study one of the STEM subjects: these can and do lead to all sorts of careers. He encouraged everyone to stick with subjects they love.
The talk ended with a lively Q&A session in which Simon answered questions about why he chose to study physics over maths, the inspiration behind his books, and spoke about the benefits of making a conscious decision to change direction to do something better.
After the talk, pupils from seven schools stayed at Bolton School for a taster lesson in the Bolton School science labs. Simon was pleased to visit the physics, biology and chemistry sessions and chatted with pupils about the hands-on experiments they were conducting.
This was a hugely successful partnership event which was very much enjoyed by all those who took part.
