Maths Solver
DW

Daniel Whitman

Algebra and geometry · Sheffield, UK

Background

I trained at the University of Leeds (BSc Mathematics, 2014) and did a PGCE in secondary mathematics the following year. Between 2015 and 2023 I taught GCSE and A-Level maths at two state secondary schools in West Yorkshire, mainly to Year 10 and Year 11 students preparing for the foundation and higher GCSE papers. In 2022 I completed a part-time MEd in mathematics education through the Open University; my dissertation was on how secondary-school students reason about the equals sign, which is less obvious than it sounds.

In 2024 I left the classroom to work full-time on educational writing, first as a contributor to a textbook publisher and then on this site, which I co-run with Sara. Most of what I write here started as a whiteboard explanation I’d given to one student at a time, until I decided the explanation might be more useful if I could just link to it.

What I write about

On Maths Solver I cover algebra and geometry — quadratics, factoring, linear systems, the Pythagorean theorem, similarity, area and perimeter, basic trigonometry. The pieces are pitched at students preparing for GCSE, the SAT, or first-year university foundation courses, although the explanations are written so that a parent helping a child should also be able to follow them.

How to reach me

The fastest way is the contact form or [email protected]. If you spot a mistake in one of my articles, or you teach this material and have a clearer explanation than the one I wrote, I genuinely want to hear about it — the article gets updated and you get a thank-you in the edit history.

Articles by Daniel