Mike Grannell

Career summary

I graduated in 1967 from Imperial College with a B.Sc. (Hons class I) in Mathematics, and subsequently obtained my Ph.D., also from Imperial College, in 1970. For two years I worked as an investment analyst and for a further two years as a school teacher before moving in 1974 to Preston Polytechnic (now the University of Central Lancashire) as a lecturer in Mathematics. While at Preston I worked in a variety of roles, in particular as Programme Coordinator and as Examinations Officer for Combined Studies, as a designer of the credit accumulation scheme, and as acting Head of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. I was awarded a University Professorship in 1993. During my time at Preston, I undertook research work in combinatorics in partnership with my colleague Terry Griggs, as well as educational projects both in Combined Studies and within Mathematics. I also undertook consultancy work for a local engineering company. My main teaching activities were in mathematical methods, analysis and combinatorics.

Terry Griggs and I took early retirement from Central Lancashire in 1997 and subsequently joined the Open University in 1999 as Research Fellows. Here we joined the Combinatorics Research Group. I have published over 100 papers in refereed journals since 1999, many being joint with Terry and several being joint with other OU colleagues. In addition, Terry and I produced the 30-point M.Sc. module M836 (Coding Theory). Presented for the first time in 2002, it was revised by Jozef Siran and myself in 2020. It has been very successful, and popular with students.

In March 2008 I retired from my full-time post and I am now an Emeritus Professor of the University. You can email me at: mike.grannell@open.ac.uk

Research Publications

Most of my mathematical research publications are available using this link, or alternatively through my homepage at the OU.

Educational Materials

Mathematical Methods

While at University of Central Lancashire, my colleagues Julie Halton, Dave Parker, and myself, produced six sets of notes covering first order and second order differential equations, Laplace transforms, Fourier series, partial differentiation, and multiple integrals. These were augmented with tuition videos recorded on tape cassettes. The intention was that these would facilitate self-tuition. Unfortunately the quality of these tapes is now (2022) poor, but the notes themselves may be helpful to someone. The diagrams were reworked in 2022. So here are the six sets in pdf format.
First Order Differential Equations
Second Order Differential Equations
Laplace Transforms
Fourier Series
Partial Differentiation
Multiple Integrals

"Numbers"

When I was awarded a professorship in 1993 at the University of Central Lancashire I had to give an inaugural lecture accessible to the general public. I chose as my topic "Numbers". The popular view of mathematicians is that they do lots of complicated sums with numbers. But, despite the prevalence of numbers in modern society, people rarely consider what numbers actually are. So in my inaugural lecture I tried, probably unsuccessfully, to address this deficit. During coronavirus lockdowns I returned to this topic and drafted a short book of around 150 A4 pages aimed at "the interested layperson". Publishers seem to feel that such people do not exist in sufficient numbers for commercial viability: the book is too short, too much like a textbook, or not sufficiently like a textbook. So, for what it's worth it is available here for downloading in pdf format. It won't cost you anything and I hope it interests someone. It requires only a reasonable knowledge of high school mathematics and a willingness to look beyond what numbers are used for, towards what they actually are.

Analysis

For many years I taught Real and Complex Analysis, using a set of notes that I gradually developed. I have reworked some of this material and expanded it considerably. Here is an partial draft that introduces Real Analysis with an initial focus on the behaviour of sequences and series. It now takes the reader as far as differentiation and the familiar functions of Real Analysis. If I get any further with this project I will update the file.