081 = Pi Prize and Square Stairs

🔺 What are the most “interesting” years? 🍌 Bec goes big on Big Things 🎉 When Party Tricks Go Wrong 🔢 And there's some numerical AOB Here’s Max-matics’ video that Matt mentioned - Turning a 2024 Ball Pyramid in to a 2025 Ball Square for NYE 2025 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXUlKCIgV8U Some further reading on the 2025 maths https://aperiodical.com/2025/01/numerical-coincidences-for-2025/ It’s a banger - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJS3xnD7Mus Some further reading on BIG THINGS -  https://www.spottobooks.com.au/shop/p/bigthings https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/14443058.2022.2144928  If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post!   And if you want (we’re not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

20 Tammi 57min

Hello you wonderful listener, Welcome to a new year. 2025 - has a nice ring to it doesn't it? This is a short announcement to say that there will be a very short feed break - just an episode or two, don't worry - to allow us all rest for the first two weeks of January. Matt will tell you everything you need to know in his very organised PSA. Have a listen. Thank you for your continuted support and understanding. We love you very much. Bec and Matt.

6 Tammi 2min

To celebrate A Problem Squared’s 100th episode… 🎼 What is the least popular instrument in an orchestra?  🍎 Matt is appalled.  🔮 Another unplanned, unexpected mystery segment!  💼 And the business briefcase is (briefly) open.  A big thank you to Katie Steckles for her brilliant contributions to this episode. You can find more from her on her website: https://www.katiesteckles.co.uk/index.html, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stecks?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor,  or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/katiesteckles.  If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post!   And if you want (we’re not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

23 Joulu 202445min

099 = Most Watched Films and Homonyms ✍️ What single word in the English Language has the most different meanings?  📺 Is the most consumed media of all time a holiday movie or song? 🗞 There’s some Any Other Business!  ⚔️ Battleships continues.   If you want to find out more about the Royal Flying Doctor Service, do that here:  https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/nswact/visit/broken-hill-visitor-centre/ You can see the full contents of Bec’s new outback first aid kit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPuwoOtTFV8  If you want to learn more about WordNet (as mentioned in Matt’s problem) follow this link here: https://wordnet.princeton.edu/ If you’d like to see the trailer for what is apparently the most watched film of all time, you can do that here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXqjcDchr14 And if you’d like to hear the most streamed song of all time, you can do that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHI8X4OXluQ&ab_channel=TheWeekndVEVO Finally, IF you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer for Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post! Perhaps you want to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating? If you’d like to, please do that. It really helps.  AND if you want even more from A Problem Squared (and who doesn’t) you can connect with us and other fantastic listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and Discord.

9 Joulu 202452min

098 = Something Blue and Diamond Birthdays Too 💙What are the most extreme examples of something old, something blue, something borrowed, something new?   💎What’s up with diamond birthdays?  🔥A new special one-time bonus section from Matt.  💼And a look into the business briefcase.    For the Diana Spencer Tiara, look no further: https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/power-image-royal-aristocratic-tiaras/the-spencer-tiara-r-s-garrard-1930s Here’s an image of Ezra Jack Keats’ children’s story The Snowy Day: https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/galleries/childhood/item/11304. Selected from the millions of books that have been checked out of the library since 1895, Ezra Jack Keats’ children’s story The Snowy Day, described as a “charming, beautifully illustrated tale of a child enjoying the simple magic that snow brings to his city,” tops the list. And, perhaps the best suggestion from Bec, the Blue ‘Pantheon’ aka Meteor 3200: https://www.space.com/42236-weird-blue-asteroid-phaethon.html#:~:text=Asteroid%203200%20Phaethon%20is%20a,typical%20for%20comets%20than%20asteroids. Finally, this is the Diamond Birthday Tik Tok trend mentioned in Matt’s dinglett: https://www.tiktok.com/@misshaleymichelle/video/7196331969838566702?lang=en If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post!     If you want to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

25 Marras 202452min

097 = Number of Maps & Numbered Pads 🗺 Are there enough OS maps to cover Great Britain? 0️⃣ Why does zero come after nine on a mobile phone?  📰 And, of course, some AOB! If you want to see Bec’s friend Amy’s summary of accessibility in Thorpe Park and theme parks more generally, head on over to her instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/longcovidrockstar/ Here is a picture of The Big Tractor: https://amp.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/oct/08/giant-red-tractor-carnamah-wa-australias-big-things You can watch a brilliant Phone Phreaking Documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FufYSx2_6Bg&ab_channel=RCW39RJ Here’s that Numberphile vid about Phone Buttons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCSzjExvbTQ&ab_channel=Numberphile And the 17 Designs That Bell Almost Used for the Layout of Telephone Buttons: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/08/the-17-designs-that-bell-almost-used-for-the-layout-of-telephone-buttons/279237/ Please send your problems and solutions into the website: www.aproblemsquared.com. If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post!   And if you want (we’re not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

11 Marras 202446min

🎞 Why would competing studios release movies in the same year that have the same concept or plot?  🔭 Why are we seeing the Aurora Borealis in the UK?  📈 Business of an any other nature.  If you want to have a listen to Bec on Tom Scott’s podcast ‘Lateral’ you can do that here, at some point soon: https://open.spotify.com/show/1TthQOE4Fx6gBPW8l48cfN  Their book can also be brought here! It’s really good: https://lateralcast.com/book/ To see a history of solar flare data going back to 1700, follow this link here: https://www.sidc.be/SILSO/ssngraphics Please send your problems and solutions into the website: www.aproblemsquared.com. If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post!   And if you want (we’re not forcing anyone) to leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

29 Loka 202447min

🍀 Does the 13th really fall more frequently on Friday?  💿  How do you make a giant disco ball wearable?    🍩 And we have some any other doughness.  If you want to find out more about the cardboard related event (called Number City!) Matt attended on Orkney Island, have a look at this link: https://oisf.org/fest-event/number-city/. Do send your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com. If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on the ‘Sup ‘Zards’ pinned post!  And if you like, leave us a review, pass the podcast onto a friend or give us a rating! Every little helps.  If you want even more from A Problem Squared, you can find us onTwitter,Instagram, and on Discord.

15 Loka 202443min