Sum of All Parts: Recent Episodes

ABC Radio

Sum of All Parts tells extraordinary stories about the unseen influence that numbers have on the way we think, feel and behave.

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How would you react if you received this SMS?

BUSHFIRE WARNING. LEAVE NOW.

When we evacuate from a bushfire, we fall into one of seven types of evacuee; from Threat Deniers, to Worried Waverers, to Experienced Independents.

This is the story of a bad evacuee turned good.

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During the recent Australian bushfire crisis, numbers gave us a sense of the unprecedented scale of the disaster; 12.6 million hectares burnt, 431 megatons of carbon dioxide emitted, one billion animals killed. But where do these numbers come from?

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Is Benjamin Geen a killer, or the unluckiest guy in England?

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Wally Conron invented the labradoodle, one of the world's most popular dogs. He now considers the breed his "life's regret".

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Where and when did a digital computer play music for the first time?

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How do you turn a Nintendo Game Boy into a musical instrument?

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Who was the tattooist of Auschwitz?

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Who knew there was a hidden dinosaur extinction?

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Why does my three-year-old know more about dinosaurs than I do?

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What can Radiohead tell us about our ancient connection to rhythm?

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Professor Maryam Mirzakhani was the first woman to win the prestigious Fields Medal. She died in 2017.

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Zillion. Squillion. Kajillion. What are these numbers?

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From calls intended for a phone sex line, to mis-tweeted phone numbers, these stories are from the world of wrong numbers.

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“Six degrees of separation” is the idea that you can connect any two people in the world by no more than six friend-to-friend steps. But how does the concept hold up when you dig into the science?

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Coming in late 2018: Sum of All Parts season 2! But in the meantime, a special treat - SOAP presents.. A month of our favourite stories from the world of numbers made by friends of the show.

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Two drugs; the old and the new, the known and the unknown. And the delicate tipping point between efficiency and chaos. This story was produced for the ABC podcast Science Friction.

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Two Trains tells the story of income inequality along the New York City 2 Train.

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Brant Guichard has heard The Music for as long as he can remember.

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Did George Harrison "cheat" the solo to A Hard Day's Night?

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No one’s sure exactly how the most famous chord in popular music was played. Until now.

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The United States digs its heels in over measurement - or does it? (This episode is a co-production with the podcast 99% Invisible).

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Rational people test their superstitions.

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Melbourne, 1989. Two teenagers hack Australia's recently established internet connection, and infiltrate some of the world’s most secure computer networks.

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As teenagers, the rock star and the podcast producer share an important discovery. This is a BONUS mini-episode! Listen to 2.0 The Infinite God first..

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A musician gives up the rock n' roll dream for number theory, and a glimpse of the infinite.

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A school of fish help the Australian netball team win a gold medal.

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These people count in twelves not tens.