A Problem Squared

099 = Most Watched Films and Homonyms ✍️ What single word in the English Language has the most different meanings?  📺 Is the most consumed media of all time a holiday movie or song? 🗞 There’s some Any Other Business!  ⚔️ Battleships continues.   If you want to find out more about the Royal Flying Doctor Service, do that here:  https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/nswact/visit/broken-hill-visitor-centr...

098 = Something Blue and Diamond Birthdays Too 💙What are the most extreme examples of something old, something blue, something borrowed, something new?   💎What’s up with diamond birthdays?  🔥A new special one-time bonus section from Matt.  💼And a look into the business briefcase.    For the Diana Spencer Tiara, look no further: https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/power-image-royal-a...

097 = Number of Maps & Numbered Pads 🗺 Are there enough OS maps to cover Great Britain? 0️⃣ Why does zero come after nine on a mobile phone?  📰 And, of course, some AOB! If you want to see Bec’s friend Amy’s summary of accessibility in Thorpe Park and theme parks more generally, head on over to her instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/longcovidrockstar/ Here is a picture of The Big Tract...

🎞 Why would competing studios release movies in the same year that have the same concept or plot?  🔭 Why are we seeing the Aurora Borealis in the UK?  📈 Business of an any other nature.  If you want to have a listen to Bec on Tom Scott’s podcast ‘Lateral’ you can do that here, at some point soon: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TthQOE4Fx6gBPW8l48cfN   Their book can also be brought here! It’s rea...

🍀 Does the 13th really  fall more frequently on Friday?  💿  How do you make a giant disco ball wearable?    🍩 And we have some any other doughness.  If you want to find out more about the cardboard related event (called Number City!) Matt attended on Orkney Island, have a look at this link:  https://oisf.org/fest-event/number-city/. Do send your problems and solutions to the website: www.aprobl...

💿 What did the first ever podcast sound like? 🗳 How do you REALLY lose an election in the US?  📰 Business will be closed, and opened. Thank you to Emily for the Maths mittens! To see pictures of those, head over to APS socials.  You can see the incredible Agree to Disagree podcast pages from 1999 here:   https://web.archive.org/web/19990914040650/http://www.thealph.com/agree/ https://web.archive...

⭕ Circle Can Tic-Tac-Toe ever be fun?  🤏What is the smallest Neil called?  🗞There’s some Any Other Business!  ⚔️Battleships continues.   If you want to read the works referenced by Matt in his tic-tac-toe / naughts and crosses problem, take a look below:  Solo Noughts and Crosses, James Grime: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10724117.2023.2168434 Tic-tac-tome, Willy Yoners: https://...

🌈 How many colours are really in a rainbow? 🕰 How often is a broken clock is right?  💼 The Any Other Business briefcase is open. Briefly.  🏴‍ And we have a NEW POST CREDITS easter egg.  To hear more about the brilliant and terrible Emily In Paris premier, listen to this episode:  https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/point-break-pt-1-season-04-episode-01/id1720149980?i=1000666164553 If you want...

🎯 What is the optimal layout for a dart board?  🦈 How soon after a cut does a shark smell your blood?  📜 And there’s some AYE-YOOO-BEEEE. To see the Percy Arrangement mentioned by Matt follow this link: https://www.globaldarts.de/globalDartsEN/sport/Percysboard.html And for the “Optimal Dartboard Design” reveal, see here! https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/api/file/viewByFileId/1980058 If you...

🧺 Why is the cycle time on my washing machines always wrong? 🪙 How long will it take to sell 400 Lincoln memorial pennies for $20,000?  🔔 We have DINGS!  🧳 And the business briefcase is open!  Disclaimer: You may hear a slight change in tone on Matt's audio at points throughout, that's back up audio which sounds different. If you want to find out more about the IMO, or International Mathematic...

On this episode... 🐍If you pooled up all the snake venom in the world would it be enough to kill all the non-immune mammals? 👢Do dogs have 2 arms? Or do we have 4 legs? 📜And we open the business briefcase.  If you want to know more about lizard sampling, do that here: ‘Hierarchical distance sampling to estimate population sizes of common lizards across a desert ecoregion’: https://onlinelibrary...

🚘 What happens when tires get tired? 🧊 What is the equation for the curve on a spinning Ruibik’s cube? 📜 And there’s some pin related AOB! Find out more about the counting crows here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0984 You can hear Bec on Ali Plumb’s podcast ‘Screen Time’ here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r4zfx/episodes/downloads If you want to learn more about the EMF...

🧗 Is it possible to climb every mountain?  🌞 Can you simulate an eclipse if you miss the real thing?  📜 And some loose ends (and change), in AOB!  If you’d like to enter the very same gravel race as Matt Parker, you can find out more details here: https://sevengravelrace.com/the-race/ You can listen to ‘Climb Any Mountain’ from the Sound of Music soundtrack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

🙏 Is this emoji praying hands or a high five?  🍚 What's the best present for celebrating a billion seconds? 💼 For the first time we have Any Other Business WITH SPECIAL GUESTS! If you want a collectable (and mistake-ridden) copy of ‘Love Triangle’, with a special, limited edition book cover designed by print-artist Paul Catherall. You'll get one free while stocks last. Head over to MathsGear! h...

🪙 How many coins would you need to sort through to collect all commemorative €2 coins in circulation?  📍How do you display enamel pins?!  💼 The Any Other Business briefcase is…mostly open.  Here’s the Coupon Collector’s problem video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BstloCx8KDk You can see more on the “Number of banknotes/coins returned from circulation in Euro Area, Euro area (changing composi...

In this episode... 🎂 Where did birthday cake come from?  🚗 How come my indicator is never in sync with other cars waiting to turn? 💼 And, as always, some business from the business briefcase. Nina, here’s that recipe for Greek Honey Cake: https://www.food.com/recipe/greek-honey-cake-428671 And for more cake from around the world, look no further than this infographic: https://i.imgur.com/lhhotI...

🌒 What’s the best place to see the next solar eclipse?  💤 Do animals dream?  💼 The Any Other Business briefcase is…half open.  Send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com . For a detailed look at the path of the 2026 eclipse, here’s the website referenced by Matt: https://eclipsophile.com/future-eclipses-2024-2028/ If you want to hear the full interview with David P...

🔔🚨 This is an emergency broadcast 🚨🔔 Unfortunately a bout of sudden food poisoning has got in the way of our latest recording session. Everyone's safe (now) but as you may have noticed, we're missing an episode. We've now got a new date in the diary but the podcast won't be back for two weeks - sorry about that everyone! SO in this episode, A Problem Squared presents... 🧙‍♀️ The first EVER ep...

In this episode... 🧺 What is lint?  👌 When does zero count?  💼 And, as always, some business from the business briefcase.  Please do send us your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com. Bec’s got loads of gigs coming up! If you wanna go see her check out dates on her website: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs . Matt’s also got an Evening of Unnecessary Detail eve...

In this episode… 🥧 Can Pi ever repeat itself?  🪜 Is it impossible for cube-based stairs to be identical? 📈 And some Business of an Any Other Nature.  If you want to see the biggest hand calculation in HISTORY, you can! Just head over to Matt’s YouTube channel on the 14th of March: https://www.youtube.com/@standupmaths An Evening of Unnecessary Detail is BACK IN NEW YORK! On the 14th of April, a...

In this episode… 🍼 What’s the best method for naming a human child? 🎊 How do you turn 45^2=2025 into a birthday celebration? 📜 AYE-YOOO-BEEEE. Please do send us your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com Bec’s got loads of gigs coming up! If you wanna go see her check out dates on her website: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs Matt’s also got an Evening of Unnec...

In this episode… ⤵ Is it faster to drive around Australia in an anticlockwise direction on the inside lane?  🐉 What were dragonflies called before there were dragons? 💼 Business of an ‘Any Other’ nature. New segment: Things Matt Needs Help With. If you can help with ANY of Matt’s ideas, get in touch!  If you’d like to see Matt’s diagrams and GP MOTO plot, head on over to Twitter or Patreon! The...

In this episode… 🇺🇸 A LAT of LA chat. ⭐️ If you visited each star on the Hollywood Walk of fame in alphabetical order, how far would you have to travel? 📜 And some sort of Any Other Businesses.  Send us your problems and your solutions to the Problem Posing Page: www.aproblemsquared.com If you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter , Instagram , Discord and of course,...

In this episode… 🌏 How often do earthquakes take place in the same location, on the same date, in different years?  🔔 Dingletts, dingletts and more dingletts!  💨 A fundamental buoyancy error.  If you want to look into the data Matt used for his earthquake problem, you can find that here: https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazel/view/hazards/earthquake/event-data . If you want to see the plots Matt menti...

In this first episode of 2024… 🍝 How long would human spaghetti be? 🏛 Do all roads actually lead to Rome? 📜 We have new old business for a new new year. P.S episode not intentionally Italy themed. If you want to go see Matt and Bec in LA get to the Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Sunday January 7th at 5pm! Bec and Matt will put on An Evening of Unnecessary Detail along with a few of their fri...