Puzzling Maths: Recent Episodes
Andrew Jeffrey and Rob Eastaway
In this lively and laughter-filled podcast, Rob Eastaway and Andrew Jeffrey set puzzles and talk about the quirky ways in which maths crops up in their everyday lives - with occasional special guests for good measure.
To mark a summer of sport, Rob and Andrew have smashed it out of the park by serving up a sports-themed episode for the season finale.
Including some great puzzles, a maths joke from a crowd song, one of the most costly cricket shots of all time, and as usual some smashing (or perhaps 'knockout'?) puzzles.
Game, set and Maths.
In this very special episode, Rob and Andrew travel to what could arguably be called the spiritual home of Puzzling Maths: Bletchley Park. This extraordinary place was the birthplace of modern computing, and the workplace of Alan Turing and the famous Codebreakers.
We'd love to tell you more, but for reasons of national security the contents of this episode are classified, so ON NO ACCOUNT should you listen.*
*Unless you want to.
Enjoy, we pray thee, this very special edition of the podcast that comes trippingly off the tongue, recorded live in Stratford Upon Avon. Preparest thou to be mightily entertained by such weighty topics as pencils, bridges and Caesar salads, and enjoy trying to spot the Shakespearean references, some more gratuitous than others.
(Sharp-eared listeners might even spot the moment that Andrew and Rob were interrupted by a huge fan, though sadly it was a noisy electric one rather than an actual human.)
What connects a Beatle, a Cricketer, an Average and a Herb? And what on earth (or even quite far above it) are Rob and Andrew doing in London?
In this second outside broadcast, find out what connects Inspector Morse and Frank Spencer, and discover the significance of the number 1760.
It's a cracker of an episode, just without the paper hat.
Like an Oxbridge genius, this podcast boasts not one but two FIRSTs!
Yup: finally, in their twelfth episode, Rob and Andrew actually record TOGETHER in the same room for the first time! Not only that, but they take advantage of this proximity to head out into Brighton looking at a curious phenomenon they're calling pph...
And as you'd expect, there are puzzles: (is there really maths in Wordle? You bet!), special guest and Brighton resident Nicole Cozens, and more everyday maths, including carpets, inflation, and the rule of 72.
It’s your lucky day! Where else could you hear two maths and puzzles enthusiasts discuss methane, maths week, and Mexicans in less than 25 minutes? Not to mention cunning puzzles and every-day maths, including dominoes, carbon dioxide, and bird-feeders. We're also quietly confident this may be the first podcast you have ever listened to use both the words ‘flatus’ and ‘exploratorium’.
With a staggering 53.7% more content than episode 1, episode 2 will educate you on such weighty matters as the maths of playlists, fastest ever olympians (spoiler - it's not the sprinters), teabags, and more. And in the return of 'Gratuitous and Tenuous' the reason for our sunflower logo is revealed!
They're back! Join Rob and Andrew for a second series of 'Puzzling Maths'. In episode 1, they cover such wide-ranging topics as the Mayflower (yes that one), Burnley FC, The Olympics, Pizza, and Roman Numerals.
Disclaimer: no numbers were harmed in the making of this podcast, though some may have inadvertently been used either Gratuitously or Tenuously...
The History Episode (and season finale). Where else could you find out about the maths of the Census, discover Aristotle's lesser-known brother Bob, learn about the shortest man in history (spoiler: only because of a mathematical error), and be caught out by an excellent puzzle about the Emperor Claudius?
Not to mention a terrific interview with famous archeologist Sue Greaney, in which we learn some extraordinary mathematical facts about Stonehenge!
(March 2021)
Very possibly our most fascinating episode yet. In which we discuss clocks, snow, fruit pastilles, screens, sudoku, and most importantly, music, as we explore maths with our guest the talented cellist Samara Ginsberg. (Feb 2021)
Find out about her at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSF5mJTarQx3ER3MhiR5QoQ
In which Rob and Andrew go full-on festive, as they ponder wise men with camels, Battenberg cake, Mariah Carey, Christmas decorations, gold rings, and more. (December 2020)
In this episode, Rob and Andrew puzzle over black hats, mixed fruit and how to get into a football match. Or not. One of them takes a trip to Barnard Castle as they welcome special guest Sarah Leppard who is an optometrist. Or maybe optician. You'll have to listen and make up your own mind.
In which Rob and Andrew consider a new unit of measurement (foot-metres), how to cross a river, negative interest rates and more.
In this special edition of Puzzling Maths, Rob and Andrew give over a rather large percentage of their minutes to Anna Foster, co-presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live Drive.
She talks candidly about maths, what maths she uses in her work, how it is used by politicians, and much more.
Oh - and unsurprisingly - there are puzzles too.
Given that this is only episode 2 of Puzzling Maths, there is a 50% chance that it may well be the best episode Rob and Andrew have ever recorded.
It's definitely in the top two, at least.
We have more puzzles, the answer to last episode's date teaser, and some further fascinating maths from the real world, including darts, cricket, cycling and algorithms.
This, as the name suggests, was the very first episode (which partially explains why it sounds as though it was recorded in a broom cupboard), in which we introduce ourselves and why we started the Puzzling Maths podcast. We discuss a surprising application of Fibonacci numbers, and talk to special guest Shannon Fairchild about her experiences of maths at school and in the workplace.