The interesting thing is that over the whole 12 days it becomes a three-dimensional problem. On each day of Christmas you have a "triangular number" of presents: one, three, six, 10 etc. 'There's a nice way to quickly calculate how many presents there are. So I always challenge the carol singers – perhaps that's why they don't come any more – to see if they can work it out.
'One of the challenges is working out how many presents you get in this song. But when they did come, they would sing: "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…" My kids explained that it's because I always point out something mathematical in the carols they're singing. He told the audience: 'Round my neighbourhood, carol singers just will not come to my door any more. Ever wondered how Santa plots his route between houses on Christmas Eve? Or how many gifts you'd receive if your true love followed 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' to the letter? Oxford mathematician Professor Marcus du Sautoy helped a sizeable audience tackle these festive problems when he gave the annual Oxford Mathematics Christmas Public Lecture in the Andrew Wiles Building.Īfter admitting he 'really enjoys this time of year because there's so much maths hiding everywhere', Professor du Sautoy kicked things off with a fairly gentle puzzle about Hanukkah candles, before moving on to French hens, turtle doves and, of course, partridges in pear trees.
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