Maths EPQ ideas: artefact projects
Make something: a simulation, app, teaching resource, game, model or instrument, with a research-based report alongside it.
Tip. Write a design brief and success criteria first, and test the artefact against them.
10 ideas
- An interactive epidemic simulatorCan an interactive simulation help Year 12 students understand how epidemics spread?
- A puzzle resource for teaching inductionCan a set of puzzles teach proof by induction better than a textbook explanation?
- Designing a fair board gameCan a board game be designed so that every player has an equal chance of winning?
- A spaced-practice formula appCan a spaced-practice app improve how well students remember A Level formulae?
- Building an arch from a hanging chainCan a model arch shaped by a hanging chain carry more load than a semicircular arch?
- An honest climate data visualisationHow can an interactive visualisation make UK climate data clearer without misleading?
- A working cipher machineCan a working model cipher machine show why rotor ciphers were strong, and where they were weak?
- A fractal art generatorHow can iteration with complex numbers generate fractal art, and why is the Mandelbrot set's edge so intricate?
- Building a tuned instrumentCan the mathematics of vibrating air columns be used to build an in-tune set of pipes?
- A Sudoku solverCan a program solve any Sudoku, and how does computer backtracking compare with human logic?
Frequently asked questions
Is artefact projects a good area for a maths EPQ?
It can be, if you narrow it to one question you can answer with mathematics you understand and evidence you can find. Write a design brief and success criteria first, and test the artefact against them.
Can I use one of these titles as it is?
Use it as a starting point. Change the case, the data or the comparison until the title is your own, and agree it with your supervisor before you start.
Other areas: Pure · Modelling · Statistics · History and philosophy · Economics and society · Computer science · Physics and engineering · Biology and medicine · Music, art and sport
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The Extended Project Qualification is offered by several awarding bodies, including AQA, Pearson Edexcel, OCR and WJEC/Eduqas. A Level Math Revision is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any awarding body or university. Summaries of the rules are in our own words: your school and your board's specification have the final say. Every idea here is our own.