How to read the news like a mathematician – from the budget and HS2 to Covid and sport

With the public facing an ever-increasing barrage of sums, calculations and data, here are some numerical tricks and ideas that can help people make better sense of the world

These days, keeping up with the news can sometimes feel like a maths exam. We face a constant barrage of figures, whether through national budgets, coronavirus data, hospital waiting lists or football transfer fees. It can be very easy to switch off and ignore all this, but being able to put these numbers into context and understand what they really mean is vital to our role as informed citizens. Here are some mathematical tricks and ideas that can help you make better sense of the world.