Vault Times — Maths in the news

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Our pick of the day for numbers, data and context — the rest of the edition follows by section.

National (UK) · Metro

My honest review of the Banksy exhibition that’s wowed 3,500,000 people in 36 cities

The Mystery of Banksy experience arrives in Manchester after impression millions on the continent Every time a Banksy pops up, the race is on to see it before it’s taken down. Londoners and tourists are currently under pressure to snap a photo of a new statue by the elusive artist in Waterloo Place before it disappe…

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Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The Banksy exhibition has wowed 3,500,000 people across 36 cities. What is the mean number of visitors per city?

Your answer

If the exhibition visited 36 cities and each city had an average of 97,222 visitors, how many visitors would that be in total?

Your answer

A new Banksy statue in Waterloo Place might disappear soon. If it is taken down after 3 days and 12 hours, how many hours was it on display?

Your answer

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National (UK)

Headlines from UK-wide outlets: general news and analysis.

National (UK) · YouGov

Political favourability ratings, May 2026

Andy Burnham remains the most popular Labour figure among both the public and Labour voters

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

If Andy Burnham is the most popular Labour figure among both the public and Labour voters, and a survey of 200 people shows 45% of the public view him favourably, how many people is that?

Your answer

The snippet says Burnham is the most popular Labour figure. If a poll of 500 Labour voters gives him 60% approval, how many Labour voters approve of him?

Your answer

If the favourability rating for Burnham among the public is 48% and among Labour voters it is 72%, what is the difference in percentage points?

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National (UK) · Metro

I thought our souls were connecting – he only cared about my fluids

As I pissed on his chest, he laughed; my urine bounced off him and around the room.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

If the article mentions 'my urine bounced off him and around the room', estimate the percentage of the room's floor area that might be splashed if the urine spread in a circle of radius 0.5 metres. Give your answer as a fraction of the room's total floor area, assuming the room is 4 metres by 5 metres.

Your answer

If the article describes a person laughing while urine bounces off them, and the urine travels at 2 metres per second horizontally, how far would it travel in 0.3 seconds?

Your answer

If the urine splashes and covers a circular area of radius 0.3 metres, what is the area of the splash in square metres? Use π = 3.14.

Your answer

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Statistics

Polling, surveys, trackers and data-led public opinion pieces.

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Global

International and world news.

Global · The Independent — World

Iran-US war latest: Trump claims he and Xi are agreed on how Middle East conflict should end

The US president said Beijing and Washington have ‘settled a lot’ of problems, including how the war in Iran should be brought to an end

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Trump claims he and Xi are agreed on how the Middle East conflict should end. If the conflict has lasted 18 months and they agree on a 6-month ceasefire plan, what fraction of the conflict's duration would the ceasefire cover?

Your answer

If the US and China together represent 40% of global GDP, and they agree on a peace plan costing £50 billion, how much would each country contribute if they split the cost equally?

Your answer

The snippet says Trump and Xi have 'settled a lot' of problems. If there were 12 major issues and they settled 8, what percentage of issues remain unsettled?

Your answer

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Global · The Independent — World

New Zealand’s Maori Queen holds ‘heartfelt’ discussions with King Charles at Buckingham Palace

This is the first meeting between the British monarch and Te Arikinui since she became Maori Queen in 2024 following the death of her father

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The Maori Queen became queen in 2024. If her father died in 2023, how many years later did she become queen?

Your answer

King Charles and the Maori Queen had 'heartfelt' discussions. If the meeting lasted 45 minutes, what fraction of an hour is that?

Your answer

If the Maori Queen's father reigned for 18 years and she has reigned for 1 year so far, what is the ratio of her reign to her father's reign?

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Global · The Independent — World

Not a burger in sight: The menu for Trump’s state banquet in China as Beijing rolls out the red carpet

Trump’s visit was celebrated with a state banquet, though it was not quite as lavish as the one he enjoyed in the UK last year

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article says the banquet was 'not quite as lavish as the one he enjoyed in the UK last year'. If the UK banquet had 10 courses and the China banquet had 8 courses, what is the percentage decrease in the number of courses?

Your answer

If the state banquet in China cost £500,000 and the UK banquet cost £750,000, what is the ratio of China's cost to UK's cost in simplest form?

Your answer

If the banquet menu had 5 dishes and each dish used 200 grams of a key ingredient, how many kilograms of that ingredient were used in total?

Your answer

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Politics

UK and Westminster politics, policy and elections.

Politics · Politics.co.uk

Wes Streeting resigns as health secretary – letter in full

Wes Streeting has resigned as health secretary, saying it is now clear that Keir Starmer will not “lead the Labour Party into the next general election.” Streeting, who has headed the Department of Health and Social Care since the 2024 general election, described the 2026 local and devolved parliament elections as “…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Wes Streeting has been health secretary since the 2024 general election. If the election was in July 2024 and he resigned in May 2026, how many full years did he serve?

Your answer

Streeting says Starmer will not lead Labour into the next general election. If the next election is in 2029, how many years before that is 2026?

Your answer

The 2026 local and devolved parliament elections are mentioned. If there are 32 local councils and 3 devolved parliaments, what is the total number of elections?

Your answer

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Politics · The Guardian — Politics

If Labour didn’t exist, would you invent it? Streeting, Rayner, Burnham – you need to tell us why

The party needs a leader who understands the difficulties facing ordinary people. I am yet to see anyone obviously equal to that challengeIf this were a poker game, Thursday lunchtime was the point when players were finally forced to show their cards. Was Wes Streeting holding all the aces, as his people relentlessl…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article mentions a poker game where players 'show their cards' at Thursday lunchtime. If lunchtime is 12:30 pm and the game started at 10:00 am, how many minutes passed before cards were shown?

Your answer

Wes Streeting is described as 'holding all the aces'. In a standard deck of 52 cards, what is the probability of drawing an ace?

Your answer

If the Labour party had 412 members in a meeting and 1/4 of them supported Streeting, how many supported him?

Your answer

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Politics · BBC News — Politics

Burnham to make bid to return as MP as pressure mounts on Starmer

Wes Streeting also resigns as health secretary, saying he has lost confidence in Sir Keir Starmer's leadership.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article says Wes Streeting resigned as health secretary. If he served for 18 months and 15 days, express this time in years as a decimal (assume 1 month = 1/12 year, 1 day = 1/365 year).

Your answer

If Burnham makes a bid to return as MP and needs 50% plus one of the votes from 650 MPs to succeed, how many votes does he need?

Your answer

If pressure mounts on Starmer and a poll shows 45% of 2000 party members support him, how many members support him?

Your answer

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Environment & science

Climate, nature, energy and science stories.

Environment & science · The Independent — Climate

Heatwaves in high 40 degrees Celsius are ‘new normal’ for India and Pakistan, scientists warn

Climate crisis has tripled the likelihood of extreme heat occurring, study finds

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Heatwaves in the high 40s Celsius are 'new normal'. If a city records 48°C and the previous normal was 40°C, what is the percentage increase?

Your answer

The climate crisis has tripled the likelihood of extreme heat. If the original likelihood was 5%, what is it now?

Your answer

If a heatwave in India lasts 10 days and the temperature is 47°C each day, what is the total number of degrees above 40°C across all days?

Your answer

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Environment & science · BBC — Science & environment

A woolly solution to NI's peatland problems?

Could locally-sourced wool restore peatlands and reduce the carbon cost of conservation?

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

If locally-sourced wool costs £2.50 per kilogram and 200 kg are needed to restore one hectare of peatland, what is the total cost for 5 hectares?

Your answer

The carbon cost of conservation is reduced by using wool. If the original carbon cost was 120 tonnes and wool reduces it by 15%, how many tonnes are saved?

Your answer

A peatland area of 3.5 hectares requires 700 kg of wool. How many kilograms per hectare is that?

Your answer

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Environment & science · The Guardian — Environment

‘Floats above the landscape’: the architect whose designs touch the earth lightly

Glenn Murcutt pioneered architecture that was sensitive to its environment, and accomodating to changing temperatures and wildlifeThe house teaches you things, Lynne Eastaway says. Today, a choir of cicadas fill the scrub with a rhythm that rises and falls. On other days, there may be visits from birds, goannas, ech…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article mentions a 'choir of cicadas' whose rhythm rises and falls. If the cicada sound intensity rises from 30 decibels to 50 decibels, what is the increase in decibels?

Your answer

If the architect's design 'touches the earth lightly' and the house has a footprint of 120 m², but only 60 m² of that actually contacts the ground (the rest is on stilts), what fraction of the footprint contacts the ground?

Your answer

If the temperature changes from 25°C to 30°C over the day, what is the percentage increase in temperature?

Your answer

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Sport

Sport news (including football).

Sport · The Independent — Sport

World Cup 2026 squads: Every player at this summer’s tournament

The 48 teams have begun naming their 26-man squads for the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico this summer

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The World Cup 2026 has 48 teams, each with a 26-man squad. How many players are there in total?

Your answer

If 12 of the 48 teams are from Europe, what fraction of teams are from Europe?

Your answer

The tournament is in the USA, Canada and Mexico. If the USA hosts 30 matches, Canada 20, and Mexico 10, what is the ratio of matches in the USA to Canada?

Your answer

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Sport · The Independent — Sport

Kylian Mbappe booed by Real Madrid fans on return from injury

The France forward later suggested that he is now fourth-choice at the club

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Kylian Mbappe was booed by Real Madrid fans. If 68,000 fans attended the match and 3/4 of them booed, how many fans booed?

Your answer

Mbappe suggested he is now fourth-choice at the club. If the first-choice player scores 20 goals per season, second-choice scores 15, third-choice scores 10, and fourth-choice scores 5, what is the total goals from all four?

Your answer

If Mbappe was injured for 6 weeks and missed 4 matches, what is the mean number of matches missed per week?

Your answer

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Sport · The Independent — Sport

PGA Championship 2026 round two tee times and how to watch

Everything you need to know as a congested field continue to battle at Aronimink

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article mentions 'round two tee times' for the PGA Championship. If round one started at 7:00 AM and round two starts at 7:30 AM, what is the time difference in minutes?

Your answer

If a congested field has 156 players and 60 of them are from the USA, what percentage of players are from the USA?

Your answer

If a golfer scores 68 in round one and 72 in round two, what is their total score?

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Local & regional

City and regional papers across the UK.

Local & regional · Birmingham Mail

British Gas to pay £20million to customers in major compensation settlement

British Gas has been forced to pay out to households that had a prepayment meter installed without their permission, regulator Ofgem said.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

British Gas pays £20 million to customers. If there are 40,000 affected households, how much does each household receive on average?

Your answer

If the compensation is £20 million and each customer gets £250, how many customers are compensated?

Your answer

Ofgem forced the payout. If the settlement is paid over 4 years, how much is paid per year?

Your answer

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Local & regional · Birmingham Mail

Man in 60s fighting for life after Stafford stabbing

Staffordshire Police was called to reports of violence on Thursday evening

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

A man in his 60s was stabbed in Stafford. If he is 67 years old and the attacker is 23, what is the difference in their ages?

Your answer

Staffordshire Police were called at 8:15 pm on Thursday. If the incident occurred 30 minutes earlier, at what time did it happen?

Your answer

If the man is in his 60s and fighting for life, and the survival rate for such injuries is 40%, what is the probability he survives?

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Local & regional · Birmingham Mail

Government responds to calls for new Jet2, TUI, Ryanair, Easyjet cabin rule

The Labour Party government has issued an official response to a petition, which has been backed by THOUSANDS.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article says a petition was backed by 'THOUSANDS'. If exactly 5,000 people signed, and the government responds, what is 5,000 as a percentage of the UK population of 67 million?

Your answer

If the petition calls for a new cabin rule for airlines like Jet2, TUI, Ryanair, Easyjet, and there are 4 airlines mentioned, what fraction of the total number of airlines (assume 10 major UK airlines) is that?

Your answer

If the government response takes 3 months and 2 weeks to issue, how many days is that? (Assume 1 month = 30 days, 1 week = 7 days.)

Your answer

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