The Numberphile Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Counting Crayons - with Po-Ling Loh Dec 14, 2024

Show notes

Po-Ling Loh is an American theoretical statistician based at the University of Cambridge. She discusses her childhood, choosing a university, and her path to higher dimensional statistics and differential privacy.

She also compares life as an academic in the US and UK.

This episode was made possible by the Leverhulme Trust, a UK-based organisation which funds ambitious blue skies research across various disciplines - https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/

Professor Loh was the recipient of a Philip Leverhulme Prize. More about her prize here - https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/news/philip-leverhulme-prize-winners-2023

Professor Loh’s website - https://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/~pll28/

BREAKING NEWS: The Largest Known Prime Number Oct 24, 2024

Show notes

There’s a new largest known prime number and we speak to all the key players, including the discoverer Luke Durant. Also featured in the podcast are George Woltman from GIMPS, James Grime, and Matt Parker.

Extended interviews (as videos) can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWIWS5Jd3k5QHdc0kxwfnZMg

Matt Parker’s epic video on Stand-up Maths is here: https://youtu.be/zsyGRDrDfbI

Numberphile’s main video on the discovery is here: https://youtu.be/Yp4ilFOtoeg

The GIMPS press release is here: https://www.mersenne.org/primes/?press=M136279841

GIMPS: https://www.mersenne.org

More Numberphile videos on Mersenne Primes from over the year: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWKsTwVXpLscZdfiiqAkkGCA

Numberphile is supported by Jane Street - https://www.numberphile.com/jane-street

You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

The Secret Math Journal - with Ellen Eischen Jul 30, 2024

Show notes

Ellen Eischen is a professor of mathematics at the University of Oregon. Here she discusses creativity, collaboration - and a “secret” journal she has kept since childhood.

Ellen Eischen website (includes some links to the teaching we discussed): http://www.elleneischen.com 

Women in Numbers: https://awm-math.org/research-networks/win/

Creativity Counts museum exhibit: https://jsma.uoregon.edu/CreativityCounts

Ellen on Numberphile discussing Faulhaber's Fabulous Formula (and Bernoulli Numbers): https://youtu.be/83NFR7JDlww 

Numberphile is supported by Jane Street - https://www.numberphile.com/jane-street

We also work with the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute - https://www.slmath.org

You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Winnie the Math Whiz - with Danica McKellar Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

Catch a video version of this episode at: https://youtu.be/xMAiBBxQGZI

Danica McKellar is best-known for portraying girl-next-door Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years - but she has also proven a math theorem (which bears her name) and writes books to inspire future mathematicians.

Check out her math website and books at: https://mckellarmath.com

And Danica’s general website at: https://danicamckellar.com

Danica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danicamckellar/

Danica’s books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VQdzny

Danica’s co-authored paper which led to the Chayes–McKellar–Winn theorem: https://scienceblogs.de/geograffitico/wp-content/blogs.dir/70/files/2012/07/i-5bb4f4203312f2a650f3294cf4ddac13-percolation.pdf

Brady’s dog Winnie: https://www.instagram.com/the_wonderful_winnie/

The Wonder Years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonder_Years

Jane Street opportunities (episode sponsor): https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/overview/

Jane Street’s Insight program as mentioned on the show: https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/programs-and-events/insight/

Numberphile is also supported by the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute: https://www.slmath.org

You can support Numberphile on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons: https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

The Hyper-Curious Billionaire - Jim Simons (1938-2024) Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

This podcast marks the passing of James Harris Simons, better-known as Jim.

The interviewees are John Ewing, David Eisenbud and Andrew Millis.

The Simons Foundation - https://www.simonsfoundation.org

Simons Foundation article about Jim’s life - https://www.simonsfoundation.org/2024/05/10/remembering-the-life-and-careers-of-jim-simons/

Brady’s interview with Jim for Numberphile (full hour-log version) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNznD9hMEh0

Shorter 18-minute version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjVDqfUhXOY

Math For America - https://www.mathforamerica.org

The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath, formerly MSRI) - https://www.slmath.org

The Flatiron Institute - https://www.simonsfoundation.org/flatiron/

The Chern-Simons form - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chern%E2%80%93Simons_form

The Archimedes (Jim’s yacht) - https://www.feadship.nl/fleet/archimedes1

Numberphile has been supported by The Simons Foundation (via SLMath) for many years. We are yet another of Jim’s legacies.

You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Numberphile Podcast by Brady Haran

A Very Bad Estimator - with Donald Knuth Jan 16, 2024

Show notes

Donald Knuth is unquestionably a legend of computer science and mathematics - but he is bad at estimation and grew up with a “rhinoceros attitude”.

Don Knuth’s homepage - https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/

The Art of Computer Programming (books) - https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/taocp.html

On Amazon - https://amzn.to/4aUkkeT

3:16 (book) - https://amzn.to/4aRs9lH

Knuth’s questions for Chat GPT - https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/chatGPT20.txt

Knuth videos on Numberphile - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWLfLjzHzmFO6T8jCZdipvQc

Brady’s video on John 3:16 from his Bibledex series - https://youtu.be/ZJjFebPW5b8

Ziegler’s Giant Bar - https://www.halfnuts.net/products/an-original-ziegler-giant-bar?variant=55664909259

Numberphile is supported by Jane Street - https://www.numberphile.com/jane-street

We also work with the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute - https://www.slmath.org

You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

The Math of Movies - with Walt Hickey Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Data journalist Walt Hickey looks deep into the numbers behind movies, TV shows, and all types of popular culture.

Walt’s new book is You Are What You Watch - https://amzn.to/3F8SwVo

Walt’s Website - https://walthickey.com

Numlock News - https://www.numlock.com

Dr Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park - https://jurassicpark.fandom.com/wiki/Ian_Malcolm

Does Hollywood ruin books? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUD8h9JpEVQ  Math and Movies (Animation at Pixar) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mX0NB9IyYpU

The problem in Good Will Hunting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW_LkYiuTKE

Numberphile is supported by Jane Street - https://www.numberphile.com/jane-street

We also work with the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute - https://www.slmath.org

You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Finding Your Place - with Federico Ardila Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

Finding Your Place - with Federico Ardila Numberphile Podcast Download

Federico Ardila is a combinatorialist at San Francisco State University.

He’s Colombian and in this episode he talks candidly about the struggles and prejudice encountered by people from different backgrounds as they try to make their mark in academia.

And just so you know there’s happy ending in sight - this episode of the podcast will conclude with a stirring musical finale.

Federico’s site - https://fardila.com

SFSU page - https://math.sfsu.edu/faculty/ardila

SLMath supports Numberphile - https://www.slmath.org

You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphile

Here are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Yes, I accept the Fields Medal - with James Maynard Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

Yes, I accept the Fields Medal - with James Maynard Numberphile Podcast Download

Oxford mathematician James Maynard explains why he feared accidentally refusing the most famous prize in mathematics.

Watch this full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/yz-5BY_TTNI

Full 2022 Fields Medal Winners - https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/fields-medal/fields-medals-2022