Math Mutation

Math Mutation 288: One Stone To Rule Them All 27.12.2023 5:10 ↓

Earlier this year, after half a century of searching by many talented mathematicians, an amateur finally discovered an aperiodic monotile. (Send feedback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 287: The Grim State of Modern Pizza 11.09.2023 4:43 ↓

The surprisingly simple GRIM test, and how it helped to debunk the famous Cornell Pizza Studies. (Send feedback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 286: Adventures In Translation 27.08.2023 5:44 ↓

I discuss my experiences translating "The Revolution of Promises" by Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 285: Believe My Proofs Or Else 29.06.2023 4:43 ↓

Have you used the logical method known as "proof by intimidation"? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 284: Don't Square Numbers, Triangle Them 30.04.2023 4:51 ↓

We discuss Buckminster Fuller's focus on triangles in his Synergetics. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 283: Escape From Infinity 05.03.2023 5:54 ↓

If we deny the existence of infinity, does math still work? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 282: The Man With The Map 20.12.2022 5:19 ↓

In memory of Maurice Karnaugh, we discuss the "K-Map", a nice shortcut for desinging electronic circuits. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 281: Pascal vs Mathematics 30.10.2022 4:42 ↓

Discussing the final decade of Blaise Pascal's life, when he decided math and physics were unworthy of study. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 280: Rubik's Resurgence 26.08.2022 5:50 ↓

Thanks to social media, Rubik's Cube is popular again. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 279: Improbable Envelopes 01.07.2022 5:05 ↓

We discuss the famous Two Envelopes paradox, along with an unconventional solution. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 278: Bicycle Repair Man 22.05.2022 3:48 ↓

Alan Turing's adventures in bicycle repair. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 277: Bad Career Advice 06.04.2022 6:22 ↓

Should you aim for a maximally "scalable" profession in order to become rich? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 276: Don't Believe the Math 20.02.2022 6:44 ↓

We discuss Nassim Taleb's "Ludic Fallacy", the incorrect belief that simple mathematical models accurately predict the real world. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 275: Demanding Fair Dice 22.01.2022 4:58 ↓

What does it take to create fair dice for an online game? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 274: The Gomboc 30.11.2021 4:29 ↓

A strange self-righting 3-D shape was only discovered in the 21st century. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 273: A Maze Of Labyrinths 31.10.2021 5:34 ↓

Why are literary and visual labyrinths from ancient and medieval times so different? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 272: The Mathematics of Jackie Mason 20.09.2021 5:15 ↓

How Jackie Mason derived jokes from Talmudic logic. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 271: Too Much Testing 06.08.2021 5:26 ↓

Think about the math before getting tested for a rare disease. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 270: Which Way To Turn 15.06.2021 2:54 ↓

Why are screw threads always right-handed? Or are they? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 269: A Good Use of Downtime 25.04.2021 4:45 ↓

We discuss a strange mathematical experiment conducted in a World War II prison camp. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 268: The Right Way To Gamble 19.03.2021 3:51 ↓

When does it make sense to bet it all on a single spin of the roulette wheel? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 267: Free Will Isn't Free 05.02.2021 5:21 ↓

Do the nondeterministic calculations of quantum physics inevitably lead to proof of free will? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 266: A Number Is A Number 25.12.2020 4:11 ↓

We explore Bertrand Russell's set-theoretic definition of whole numbers. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 265: Defining Numbers, Sort of 30.11.2020 5:29 ↓

Is there a fundamental set of axioms we can use to define whole numbers? (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)

Math Mutation 264: Unbalanced Society 11.10.2020 5:09 ↓

We explore some of Alfred Korzybski's odd ideas about using math to remake society. (Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)