The Math Club

The recent return of this classic game show prompts Pete and Noah to discuss the probability and statistics at work, to see if they can figure out what makes for a "good deal".  Join in as they dive into the mathematics behind the show.  They'll even present you with a challenge that could earn you a shout out on a future episode. • Deal or No Deal Data for this episode's challenge Leave us a voic...

It's The Math Club's second anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than by telling a bunch of math jokes?  Join us as we share our favorites, along with jokes from our listeners and a few special surprises along the way.  Knock knock.  Who's there?  The Math Club!  

How many dimensions does a sphere have?  If you said three (like Noah did), you may be surprised to hear that you overshot.  In this episode, Pete and Noah explore spatial dimensions, and use a literary classic to illustrate what it even means when mathematicians talk about spaces with more than three. Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Questions Answered in the Episode:...

A family movie night reminds Pete of an ancient algorithm for calculating square roots, so it's back to The Math Club with pencils and paper in hand.  Join Pete and Noah as they investigate this algorithm to see just how accurate its results can be.   Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Questions Answered in the Episode: • How do you calculate the square root of a non-perf...

Hey there, Math Club.  We're taking some time off to spend the holidays with our families, so this week we have a rerun of last year's holiday episode...  So Many Birds. Season's Greetings!  With the holidays on the horizon, a famous song leads Pete and Noah to talk about strategies for adding up long sequences of numbers.  Come join the fun, and learn how a young Carl Gauss may (or may not) have...

Hey there, Math Club.  We're taking some time off to spend the holidays with our families, so we have a rerun of one of our favorite episodes this week...  Tales from Decrypt. Today's match-up answers the age-old question of what happens when an unstoppable brain meets an unbreakable cipher.  In the red corner, weighing in at 2,193 digits….   Noah's deviously encrypted message!  And in the blue co...

In our last episode, Hip to be Square. Pete told us about two famous magic squares—the Sagrada Família magic square and the Dürer magic square—and he mentioned that it's worth seeing them side by side.  We thought it would be fun to put together this short video showing how they compare with one another.

Ever heard of a magic square? How about 17 quintillion magic squares? In this episode, Pete and Noah explore these fascinating mathematical objects to find out more about them.  Join in the fun as we look at examples of centuries-old magic squares, and investigate the fascinating connections they share with some modern day puzzles. The Sagrada Familía magic square The Durer magic square Our Rubik'...

In our last episode, Linear Thinking, Pete mentioned that one practical application of linear algebra is in the field of urban planning and traffic flow.  Here's a video bonus to illustrate how a linear system of equations can be created from traffic data.

In this episode, Pete and Noah tackle an "unsolvable math problem" that appeared in a recent Newsweek article (Spoiler: It's not that unsolvable). Join us as we apply linear algebra to this puzzle from start to Finnish. The Newsweek article   Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Questions Answered in the Episode: • Can you solve a linear system with fewer equations than var...

In this episode, Pete and Noah explore the question, "Can AI do math?" Armed with several boxes of Chicken McNuggets, they put ChatGPT to the test, scrutinizing its mathematical prowess and giggling over how bad its attempts sometimes are. Join them as they investigate just how far the digital mind can go in mastering the realm of numbers. Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an ema...

A somewhat traumatic memory about fifth grade timed multiplication tests inspires Pete and Noah to have a conversation with Dr. Juli Dixon, author of a brand new program for teaching math facts fluency without all of the anxiety.  Join us for our most factacular episode to date! Dr. Dixon's DNA Math website Find Dr. Dixon on Twitter The Fact Tactics Fluency Program book Reque st availability for D...

What do you get if you cross 11,520 isosceles triangles with the happiest place on Earth? The Epcot ball, of course, which is perhaps the most famous geodesic structure in the world. Join Pete and Noah as they investigate these incredibly sturdy mathematical objects… and make sure to wear your clam diggers! Picture of the geodesic dome at the Dalí Museum in Figueres, Spain Leave us a voice message...

Pete is back, and Noah is eager to hear about his trip and record a new episode about an interesting bit of European math.  Join us for some zero-based counting, inspired by an elevator that Pete rode on his first day in Spain. Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the difference between zero-based counting and one-based counting?...

We've spoken with previous guests about classroom math instruction, as well as how to help students with learning disabilities in mathematics.  But what about the enormous middle ground of students who need extra help, but don't qualify for special education services?  In this episode we're joined by Jonathan Bleecker, owner of a Mathnasium learning center, for an engaging conversation about how m...

In this episode, the search for a temporary co-host to sub for Pete turns into a conversation about mathematical substitutions.  Join Noah and (the other) Pete as they talk about this powerful strategy, and why being manipulative can be a good thing when you're doing math. Link to this episode's puzzle Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Questions Answered in the Episode:...

With Pete away on vacation, Noah invites a panel of educators over for a lively conversation about mathematics instruction.  Join us as the panel discusses their early days in the classroom, how math education has changed over the past few decades, and what changes they'd like to see in the future.  Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Questions Answered in the Episode: • H...

An idea for a new ice cream treat leads Pete and Noah to discuss the different conic sections that can be created by intersecting a cone with a plane at various angles.  Grab a flashlight and get ready to shine a (cone-shaped) light on these interesting geometric creations with us. Image of the four non-degenerate conic sections Leave us a voice message Find us on Twitter Send us an email Question...

You've probably seen people arguing on social media about memes that say: "Only a true genius will get this one right", followed by a simple looking expression to evaluate.  In this episode, a mathematical miscalculation inspires a conversation about math conventions, order of operations, and being careful before placing a delivery order.  And the best news is, you don't have to be a true genius t...

In our last episode, Pete walked Noah through a calculation (using Newton's Law of Cooling) to predict what the temperature of a hot cup of water would be 10 minutes later.  Here's a video bonus to help follow along with the calculations they made.

After Pete spills a cup of hot coffee, he and Noah conduct an experiment to test Newton's Law of Cooling, a physical law that describes the rate at which warm objects cool down. Along the way, they discuss differential equations, exponential functions, and the proper way to sit after getting in a hot tub. This may be the hottest episode of the Math Club yet! Photo of our experiment setup Leave us...

Have you ever engaged in some friendly smack-talk during a sporting event? In this episode, Pete and Noah are on the receiving end of a lot of teasing out on the softball field. After the game, they analyze this kind of interaction and use a clever thought experiment to shed light on an important issue of social equality. Karen Petri's video - Why attacks on sexism are not attacks on men Leave us...

We all know people who describe themselves as "not a math person".  For many of them it's not simply a preference, but a neurological condition.  In this episode, Pete and Noah speak with Dr. Anneke Schreuder about dyscalculia, the lesser-known mathematical counterpart to dyslexia.  Join us for an eye-opening conversation as we learn what it is and how it can be identified and treated. https://dys...

The Beach Boys are famous for "getting around", but do you know that the number one gets around a lot, too?  In this episode, one takes center stage as Pete and Noah take a central look at some of the places, both exotic and familiar, that one gets around to. This is "one" episode you don't want to miss!   • Leave us a voice message • Email us • Follow us on Twitter Questions Answered in the Episo...

Happy birthday… to us!  The Math Club is one year old today, and Pete and Noah are celebrating with a fun-filled discussion of the birthday paradox. Come join the celebration - you might be surprised where it takes you! • Leave us a voice message • Email us • Follow us on Twitter Questions Answered in the Episode: • How many people are needed in a room for there to be a 50% chance of two sharing a...