How do you remember more and forget less? How can you earn more and become more creative? This livestream talk by Oxford Professor Marcus du Sautoy is your guide to the art of the shortcut.

With over 2,000 years of knowledge to draw on, mathematics is full of better ways of thinking. Shortcuts have enabled so much of human progress, whether in constructing the first cities around the Euphrates 5,000 years ago, using calculus to determine the scale of the universe or in writing today’s algorithms that help us find a new life partner.

As well as looking at the most useful shortcuts in history – such as measuring the circumference of the earth in 240 BC to diagrams that illustrate how modern GPS works – Marcus will also look at how you can use shortcuts in investing or how to learn a musical instrument to memory techniques.

Don’t miss this illuminating talk, packed full of clever strategies for daily complex problems.

Praise for Marcus du Sautoy’s Thinking Better:

‘If you thought Maths was all about long stuff, like long division and long multiplication and taking a long, long time to figure things out, Marcus du Sautoy shows that it’s just the opposite. Full of humour, stories and the lightest of touches, this is a sight-seeing tour of some of the world’s greatest neat dodges, unexpected turns and useful cut-throughs. Prepare to be caught short’ – Michael Rosen