Many of us could happily fold a paper crane, yet few feel confident solving an equation like x³ – 3 x² – x + 3 = 0, to find a value for x. Both activities, however, share similar skills: precision, ...

This article is part of a series explaining how readers can learn the skills to take part in activities that academics love doing as part of their work. Many of us could happily fold a paper crane , ...