Sophie Maclean

Sophie Maclean is a mathematician and maths communicator, currently studying for a PhD in Analytic Number Theory at Kings College London. She has previously worked as a Quantitative Trader and a Software Engineer, and now gives mathematics talks all over the UK (and Europe!). She is also a member of the team behind Chalkdust Magazine. You can follow her on Twitter at @sophietmacmaths

Prime Suspects

In the English-speaking world, we have a saying. “All prime numbers are odd, except for 2 which is the oddest of all.” But what if I told you that 2 is not prime. Nor is …

04. Feb 2026 | By Sophie Maclean | 0 comments

But What Do You MEAN?

If you ask someone their favourite number, most people will have an answer. It might be the date of their wedding, it could be a number with pleasing symmetry (I have always liked 8), or cultural significance. Very few people, however, will have a favourite average, and most would be slightly baffled at the question.

So, I am on a mission. I want to make sure that not only does everybody have a favourite average, but also that everyone knows about the deep ecosystem of different means, and how they relate to one another. Read more

14. Jan 2026 | By Sophie Maclean | 3 comments

A Collatz Conundrum

Choose a positive integer. If the number is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1. If it is even, halve it. Take your result and repeat the process. The Collatz Conjecture hypothesises that, for any positive integer, this process will eventually reach 1. Read more

27. Aug 2025 | By Sophie Maclean | 3 comments

A Random Walk on the Wild Side

It is midnight in New York. A drunkard sets off from home, and goes for a walk. In their inebriation, at each crossroads they randomly choose a direction with equal probability. North with probability ¼. East with probability ¼. South with probability ¼. West with probability ¼. Will they find their way home?