Our drive to make maths more attractive to girls and young women has tapped into something extremely powerful – and empowering.

One reader, Dr Susanne Pumpluen, an associate professor in pure mathematics at the University of Nottingham, wrote in to tell us about her group trying to promote women in mathematics –- you can check out her Facebook page, Women in Maths.

But as Rachel Riley told us, 'We've been told so many times that men are better than women at maths that we've actually started to believe it. But there's no such thing as a maths brain. There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women – it's just about our perception.'

And the best way to change your perception, Rachel says, is to practise. Here are her four rules for getting better at maths – no calculators allowed!

1. 'Maths is like a ladder – if you miss the first few rungs you can't jump up, so start with the basics. Try practising your times tables – I had to do this when I started on Countdown, really! You'll be surprised by how quickly you improve.'

2. 'When you're out shopping, try to calculate the discount of something in the sales, or work out how much a bill in a restaurant will come to. Your brain is just like any other muscle – you have to train it to make it work faster.'

3. 'Practising maths can be fun. There are lots of smartphone apps you can use, like Clockwork Brain or 6 Numbers, but even just watching the numbers game on Countdown will help you improve.'

4. 'Saying "I'm rubbish at maths" in front of children will affect their self-confidence as well as yours, Instead, ask them to explain their maths homework to you: the best way for children to learn is by teaching someone else.'

Image by MBA

If you liked this, you'll love these...
Your confidence-building tool-kit

Why women are missing out on the top jobs
More women we love