Shows
Math MutationMath Mutation 253: Making Jewelry With FermatWe discuss Fermat's Little Theorem, along with an elegant visual proof.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2019-07-2104 minMath MutationMath Mutation 252: A Mathematician Translating Pushkin?Why did a famous math author translate a classic Russian epic poem?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2019-06-2304 minMath MutationMath Mutation 251: Paradoxes, Mathematical Oddities, and Formal VerificationAudio of a recent conference talk relating Math Mutation topics to the verification of processor designs.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2019-05-2040 minMath MutationMath Mutation 250: Life on the Long TailHow the Long Tail theory enables Math Mutation to exist.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2019-03-3106 minMath MutationMath Mutation 249: The Other Half of the BattleHow poor communication of accurate math destroyed a space shuttle.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2019-02-1806 minMath MutationMath Mutation 248: A Safe BetHow the Base Rate Fallacy can help us find out if the sun has exploded.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2019-01-0706 minMath MutationMath Mutation 247: Wombat GeometryExploring the secrets of the only animals with cubic dung.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-12-2804 minMath MutationMath Mutation 246: Election Solutions RevisitedCan we use mathemtical insights to reduce the partisan conflicts surrounding ballot counting after every election?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-12-0205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 245: How Far Apart Are Numbers?What is the "right" way to draw a number line?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-10-0804 minMath MutationMath Mutation 244: Is Music Just Numbers?Do digital methods truly represent the original music, or are we missing something?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-09-0806 minMath MutationMath Mutation 243: The Consciousness ContinuumAre being asleep and awake distinct states, or part of a continuous spectrum?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-07-2904 minMath MutationMath Mutation 242: Effort and ImpactThe pitfalls of planning using impact-effort analysis.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-06-2406 minMath MutationMath Mutation 241: A Strange FixationThe surprising properties of the number 6174, known as Kaprekar's Constant.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-05-3106 minMath MutationMath Mutation 240: R.I.P. Little TwelvetoesDiscussing the late Bob Dorough's oddest song, "Little Twelvetoes".
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-04-3005 minMath MutationMath Mutation 239: The Shape of our KnowledgeWhat would a diagram of all human knowledge look like?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-03-3105 minMath MutationMath Mutation 238: Programming Your DonkeyDoes the "Buridan's Ass" paradox prove the existence of free will?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-02-1806 minMath MutationMath Mutation 237: A Skewed PerspectiveThe strange relativistic phenomenon of Terrell Rotation.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2018-01-1503 minMath MutationMath Mutation 236: A Stubborn TortoiseWhy do we believe basic logical arguments?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-12-1903 minMath MutationMath Mutation 235: Syntax WarsDo human languages really need rules of syntax?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-11-1904 minMath MutationMath Mutation 234: Le Grand KThe suprisingly primitive method used for standardizing the kilogram.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-10-1405 minMath MutationMath Mutation 233: A Totalitarian TheoremHow the Pythagorean Theorem influenced Hobbes' Leviathan.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-08-2805 minMath MutationMath Mutation 232: Overcooked BaconIs there merit to the "Six Degrees of Separation" concept?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-07-2606 minMath MutationMath Mutation 231: A New Dimension in HousingBuckminster Fuller's first four-dimensional house.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-06-2606 minMath MutationMath Mutation 230: Just Say The Dog Ate ItShould professors assign famous unsolved problems as homework?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-05-2603 minMath MutationMath Mutation 229: When Numbers ChangeIf you test a conjecture with values up to 60 digits, can you assume it will be true forever?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-03-2605 minMath MutationMath Mutation 228: So Easy It's HardExploring the "Collatz Conjecture", which is simple enough to explain to a child, but has yet to be proven.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-02-1905 minMath MutationMath Mutation 227: Heads In The CloudsGulliver's lesser known voyage to Laputa, which satirized out-of-touch mathematicians.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2017-01-2906 minMath MutationMath Mutation 226: See You Next YearIf a friend wants to meet "a year from Monday", when exactly is that?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-12-2904 minMath MutationMath Mutation 225: A Crazy Kind of ComputerHow stochastic computing cleverly utilizes the laws of probability.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-11-2906 minMath MutationMath Mutation 224: Did America Fail a Math Test?Did the Third Pound Burger fail because people thought it was too small?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-10-3104 minMath MutationMath Mutation 223: Think With Both Your BrainsHarness the power of your "R-mode" for problem solving.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-09-2606 minMath MutationMath Mutation 222: Fractal ExpressionismAre abstract expressionist paintings really fractals?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-08-2205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 221: The Trouble With Glass BeadsAre modern physicists just playing a "glass bead game"?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-06-3007 minMath MutationMath Mutation 220: Cognitive BSesAre the "Cognitive Biases" reallly flaws in the human mind?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-05-2905 minMath MutationMath Mutation 219: A Portal to the PastCan you travel in time using the International Dateline?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-03-2706 minMath MutationMath Mutation 218: Itching for the I ChingJohn Cage's music and the mathematics of the I Ching.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-03-2706 minMath MutationMath Mutation 217: The Oxford CalculatorsDiscussing a lesser-known group of 14th-century philosophers who laid the foundations for Galileo.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-02-2405 minMath MutationMath Mutation 216: Bowie Meets EscherDavid Bowie was once in a live Escher lithograph.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2016-02-0205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 215: It's Not A ConspiracyCould someone invent a device that alters the laws of probability?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-12-2305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 214: In Search of the Ultimate Math GameAre there any good educational math games out for smartphones/tablets?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-11-2905 minMath MutationMath Mutation 213 Proof of the Fourth DimensionDid Rudolf Steiner prove our minds are four-dimensional 100 years ago?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-10-2505 minMath MutationMath Mutation 212 De-Abstracting Your LifeHow to fight stereotypes and prejudice using indexing and dating
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-09-2705 minMath MutationMath Mutation 211 Saving A Few Million YearsI shamelessly plug my new Formal Verification book.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-08-3006 minMath MutationMath Mutation 210 Two Plus Two Equals FiveIs it ever valid to claim that 2+2=5?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-07-2605 minMath MutationMath Mutation 209 Wheels That Aren't RoundThe surprising properties of non-circular curves of constant width.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-06-2104 minMath MutationMath Mutation 208 Your Kids Are Smarter Than YouThe Flynn Effect shows that our collective IQ is increasing with each generation.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-05-2406 minMath MutationMath Mutation 207 Answering All Possible QuestionsA 13th century monk shows us how to discover all life's answers thru combinatorics.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-04-1205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 206 Deceptive DigitsDo the random processes of the universe prefer some digits over others?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-03-2205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 205 The Converse of a CEOSeeking success advice from the successful exposes a mathematical fallacy.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-03-0105 minMath MutationMath Mutation 204 What Happened to Grigori Perelman?Update on the strange but brilliant genius who refused the Fields Medal.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2015-01-1805 minMath MutationMath Mutation 203 Big Numbers Upside DownUnderstanding large numbers thru small probabilities.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-12-2704 minMath MutationMath Mutation 202 PsychochronometryWhy does time seem to pass faster as we age?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-11-2305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 201 A Heap Of SeagullsCan removing a grain of sand from a heap make it a non-heap?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-10-2305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 200 Answering Common Listener QuestionsWe celebrate episode 200 by answering the questions about Math Mutation that have been eating away at your brain.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-09-2805 minMath MutationMath Mutation 199 Precaution or Paranoia?Why does Nassim Nicholas Taleb want to ban GMOs?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-08-2407 minMath MutationMath Mutation 198 We're All PasteurizedHow Louis Pasteur discovered that molecules have handedness.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-08-0305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 197 Four Dimensional Greek WarshipsAfter all the original members left, was the Velvet Underground still the same band?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-07-0604 minMath MutationMath Mutation 196 When 'Is' Isn'tHow replacing English with E prime can make our language more logical and end human strife.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-06-1505 minMath MutationMath Mutation 195 Time-Reversed WorldsAre there solar systems out there where time runs backwards?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-05-1804 minMath MutationMath Mutation 194 Voyages Through AnimalspaceThinking of evolution as a journey through a multidimensional space.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-04-1306 minMath MutationMath Mutation 193 Nonrandom RandomnessIpod music shuffling and the Birthday Paradox.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-03-2305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 192 A Logical LanguageCan we replace English with something more mathematically sound?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-02-2306 minMath MutationMath Mutation 191 Liking The LotteryIs a government lottery really a tax on stupidity?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2014-02-0205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 190 Loving Only NumbersThe strange life of Paul Erdos.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-12-2806 minMath MutationMath Mutation 189 Squaring The CircleWhy can't we square the circle?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-12-0807 minMath MutationMath Mutation 188 Democracy Doesn't WorkProof that no election is fair.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-11-1105 minMath MutationMath Mutation 187 Escher Made Real3-D models of impossible Escher objects.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-10-1304 minMath MutationMath Mutation 186 Not Quite InfinityA number so big that writing it down would fill up the known universe.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-09-2204 minMath MutationMath Mutation 185 The Gullible RatioIs the golden ratio phi as important as people claim?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-08-2706 minMath MutationMath Mutation 184 Infinity Times InfinityDoes it make any sense to add and multiply infinities?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-07-2806 minMath MutationMath Mutation 183 A Founding TheoremMath that directly influenced our Founding Fathers.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-06-3005 minMath MutationMath Mutation 182 Money For MathPrize money for provingdisproving famous conjectures.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-06-1604 minMath MutationMath Mutation 181 Rediscovering The BasicsAre modern Common Core Discovery Math programs destined for failure?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-05-2707 minMath MutationMath Mutation 180 Reading The Tea Leaves For RealDiscussing Rudy Rucker's idea of using natural processes as a paracomputer.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-04-2904 minMath MutationMath Mutation 179 Bugged By MathWith a brain the size of a pinhead, how do cicadas know about prime numbers?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-03-3104 minMath MutationMath Mutation 178 Mathematical ImmortalityWhat do math and physics say about life after death?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-03-1005 minMath MutationMath Mutation 177 Does This Podcast Exist?Discussing mathematical proofs that we live in the Matrix.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-01-2905 minMath MutationMath Mutation 176 Perfect MapsThe various complications in creating 11 scale maps.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2013-01-0605 minMath MutationMath Mutation 175 Another Great Math MovieMy review of Sphereland The Movie .
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-12-1605 minMath MutationMath Mutation 174 Too Much Math?Are scientists and engineers really afraid of equations?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-11-2505 minMath MutationMath Mutation 173 Digital RootsWhy adding up digits isn't just for crazy numerologists.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-10-2805 minMath MutationMath Mutation 172 Election SolutionsThe real way to resolve close elections.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-10-0707 minMath MutationMath Mutation 171 Something Euclid MissedTry drawing the trisectors of each angle of a triangle, and you're in for a surprise.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-09-1605 minMath MutationMath Mutation 170 Gnarly GnovelsCan math give us insights into the quality of a work of fiction?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-08-2606 minMath MutationMath Mutation 169 Isaac Newton, SupercopNewton's lesser-known second career in law enforcement.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-08-0505 minMath MutationMath Mutation 168 Twistier Than You ThoughtThe strange properties and applications of the Mobius strip.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-07-1405 minMath MutationMath Mutation 167 Basic BugsHow hard is it for a simple automaton to act like a real insect?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-06-2605 minMath MutationMath Mutation 166 A New Kind of DecadeDid Stephen Wolfram's A New Kind of Science really revolutionize scientific inquiry?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-05-2805 minMath MutationMath Mutation 165 Comparative DisadvantageHow does the Black Swan concept modify the theory of Comparative Advantage?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-05-1305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 164 What Color Is Your Swan?How improbable Black Swans affect our lives and society.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-04-2205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 163 Why Statisticians Stink At StatisticsWhen estimating probabilities, we are biologically wired to give the wrong answer.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-04-0104 minMath MutationMath Mutation 162 The Mathematician Who Wasn't ThereThe strange tale of Nicholas Bourbaki.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-03-1405 minMath MutationMath Mutation 161 The Numbers Of LoveHow love was defined by Pythagoras.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-02-1905 minMath MutationMath Mutation 160 The Boids And Bees Of LeadershipWhat algorithms do bees use to fly in swarms?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-01-2405 minMath MutationMath Mutation 159 Booms And BustsIs it always natural to attain an equilibrium?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2012-01-0205 minMath MutationMath Mutation 158 That's How We Do It In GovernmentWhy government-reported statistics are bogus.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2011-12-1803 minMath MutationMath Mutation 157 Infinite InfinitiesHow much more infinite can you get?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2011-11-2904 minMath MutationMath Mutation 156 The Ultimate AnswerReflections upon turning 42.
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2011-11-1504 minMath MutationMath Mutation 155 Crazy DiceCan a die be fair without being a Platonic solid?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2011-10-2305 minMath MutationMath Mutation 154 A New Perspective On PerspectiveIs perspective in art just a cultural artifact?
(Send feeback to erik@mathmutation.com)
2011-10-0905 min