How do make maths less icky?
How do you maximise your new celebrity to try and push education reform?
How could you logic someone to death?
In this week's 5 Big Questions interview we talk to mathematician, teacher and quiz show legend BOBBY SEAGULL
Twitter: @Bobby_Seagull | @theanswertrap
Insta - @bobby_seagull
Known for:
The Big 5 Questions:
Key quotes:
"I genuinely thought the pinnacle would be I'd get to brag about it in school. Oh, Mr Seagull, he went on a TV quiz show!"
"I always steer the conversation from University Challenge towards education."
"What would I like to be on my gravestone? I'd like it to say: 'Mr Seagull made maths a little bit less icky.'"
"My initial touch point is, I still teach real students and I have to tell them off."
"Part of the way the charity operates is high profile ambassadors. Through my media and celebrity interactions, I've become friends with Katya Jones from Strictly, Peter Sorkins the Bake Off champion, and I've recruited them to become numeracy champions. I'm always trying to use my new connections."
"With maths the nature of it is quite binary, so you're right or wrong, whereas with writing and the arts you can get a graded feedback."
"Whatever society is offering you, try to dabble in as many things as you can. You don't quite know where your strengths lie, or where society will take you. Take advantage of all the different opportunities."
"You can't have scientists sitting in one separate part of the world and the arts, the creative people, separately, you need them to be collaborating."
"You can't logic someone to death. You still need to appeal to people's sense of humanity."
"Collaboration happens when people like other people."
Useful links:
Bobby Seagull // http://bobbyseagull.com
The Answer Trap // channel4.com/programmes/the-answer-trap
University Challenge YouTube supercut // youtu.be/CipbwKL4LE4
Lehman Brothers (Wikipedia) // wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehman_Brothers
Johnny Ball (Wikipedia) // wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Ball
Johnny Ball - Think Of A Number (YouTube) // youtu.be/UHGPJVw1u1I
National Numeracy charity // nationalnumeracy.org.uk
The Real Dirty Dancing // channel4.com/programmes/the-real-dirty-dancing
Industrial Revolution (Wikipedia) // wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
Moore's Law (Wikipedia) // wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law
Quantum computing (Wikipedia)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_computing
The Uncanny Valley (Wikipedia) // wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncanny_valley
C.P. Snow - 'The Two Cultures' lecture // wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Two_Cultures (Wikipedia)
'The Two Cultures' book (Amazon) // amazon.co.uk/Two-Cultures-Canto-Classics/dp/1107606144
This episode was recorded in February 2022
Interviewer: Richard Freeman for always possible
Editor: CJ Thorpe-Tracey for Lo Fi Arts
