Ormiston Sudbury Academy student praised for pursuing project on history of numbers during coronavirus lockdown

A 12-year-old boy has received high praise for his extensive research into the history of numbers.

Alex Mos explored the topic before composing a 500-word, in-depth essay as part of a maths school project, which he completed while working from home during the coronavirus lockdown.

Intrigued by the knowledge he had learnt, the Year 7 student from Ormiston Sudbury Academy said: “I knew the numbers were Arabic, but I didn’t know that they came from India. I learnt so much.”

Commending his efforts, maths teacher Perpetua Ratcliffe said: “For a Year 7 pupil, Alex has shown a flair of combining mathematics and history coherently; this is a unique talent of research that he has shown.”

Having developed a keen interest in maths, Alex is now considering studying the subject when he goes to university.

The youngster, of First Avenue in Sudbury, put his skills to the test when he took part in the United Kingdom Mathematics Junior Solo Challenge.

He said: “Some of the questions were basic arithmetic, but a lot of them I had to think about.”