120 = Dealing Probability and Healing Gullibility

In this episode...   🎧 How do you stop the wires on headphones from twisting?   🏊🏽‍♀️ If the Earth was a smooth sphere, how much water would sit on it's surface?   🛎 Get ready for some dings!   💼 And the business briefcase is open.   If you'd like to find out exactly why our pockets twist up our wires, follow this link: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/why-do-your-earphones-get-tangled-in-your-pocket-science-has-the-answer-9548540.html   For more on the spontaneous knotting of an agitated string, look no further: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0611320104#sec-2   To really comprehend the over under technique you have to see it, and even then it's tricky. You can attempt to find out how to do that, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwMJHMSmjVY   The Merch Competition is ongoing, so send in your sizes for those T-Shirts! And phone it in if you want THE HAT! Put your down preferences HERE: bit.ly/APSgiveaway   If you'd like to find out which Muppet you are, you can speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you.   As always send your problems and solutions to our website: aproblemsquared.com.   And, finally, if you want EVEN MORE from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter, Instagram or Patreon.

22 Touko 202333min

In THIS episode...   🌝 Is the diameter of the sun and the moon the spookiest of coincidences?   🍫 Where on earth are the new candy bars?!   📈 What's in the Business Briefcase today?   Here's the incredible bath related research conducted and compiled by David, go take a look it's fantastic: https://www.dropbox.com/s/89sp8ekvx2d13m7/Bath_Gustavsson.pdf?dl=0 And Tin's code with Matt's favourite plot, you can find that here: https://htmlpreview.github.io/?https://github.com/tinnuadan/PipingHotBath/blob/main/becbath.html If you'd like to see Matt and Bec in New York for an Evening of Unnecessary Detail you can still buy STANDING tickets here for $20: https://www.caveat.nyc/events/aeoud-7-13-2023   Merch Competition: Send in your sizes for those T-Shirts! And phone it in if you want THE HAT! Put your down preferences HERE: bit.ly/APSgiveaway   If you'd like to find out which Muppet YOU are, just speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you.   Send your problems, solutions and t-shirt specifications to our website: aproblemsquared.com.   And, finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

8 Touko 202356min

In THIS episode...   🎶 What's the time signature of the Bluey theme tune?   🔐 How can you get the security tag off an item of clothing at home?   🐹 The first answer to the first A Peanut Squared.   🗂 And some Any Other Business.   If you'd like to visit or participate in the Polyplane exhibition at Rutgers University, find out more on their website here: http://polyplane.org.   You can watch Adam Neely expand on Bec's answer for irregular time signatures here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KCpJx_2K_g.   ***Merch Competition UPDATE: DO NOT SEND YOUR PREFERENCES TO THE PROBLEM POSING PAGE!***   Send in your sizes for those T-Shirts! And phone it in if you want THE HAT! Put your down preferences HERE: bit.ly/APSgiveaway   And finally if you'd like to find out which Muppet YOU are, just speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you.   Send your problems, solutions and t-shirt specifications to our website: aproblemsquared.com.   And, finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

24 Huhti 202347min

In THIS episode... * Matt has found the last number. * How do you determine which day of the week a given date falls on if you know the day of another date? * And some other international business. If you'd like to see Bec and Matt at An Evening of Unnecessary Detail IN NEW YORK, get tickets here: https://festivalofthespokennerd.com/show/an-evening-of-unnecessary-detail/ This is your 10 day call, this link closes on the 20th of April! -- Roll up! roll up! The limited edition Millionth Download Commemorative Plates and / or Bowls are here. You can ORDER them here: Plate: https://achievefulfilment.onwarehouse.app/preorders/new?campaign_id=y696c5w Bowl: https://achievefulfilment.onwarehouse.app/preorders/new?campaign_id=wzv5cew If you want to find out more about the Solar Eclipse Matt's going to see in Aus, do that here: https://www.australiascoralcoast.com/products/ningaloo-eclipse#:~:text=On%20April%2020%2C%202023%20visitors,a%20total%20solar%20eclipse%20occurs. Matt explains this tweet to Bec in our first problem: https://twitter.com/standupmaths/status/1354919418300657669 And here is the offending, and very funny, website they reference - Visual Fractions: https://visualfractions.com/calculator/factorial/what-is-the-factorial-of-170/ If you'd like to find out which Muppet YOU are, just speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you. Send your problems and solutions to our website: aproblemsquared.com. And, finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

10 Huhti 202348min

In THIS episode... 🐹 A Peanut Squared!  📇 How many words neatly shorten to letter-name versions?  🔥 Was Michael Jackson's hair catching fire in a Pepsi ad the exact mid-point of his life? 💼 And some Other Business.  Roll up! roll up! The limited edition Millionth Episode Commemorative Plates and / or Bowls have arrived. You can PRE-ORDER them here: Plate: https://achievefulfilment.onwarehouse.app/preorders/new?campaign_id=y696c5w Bowl: https://achievefulfilment.onwarehouse.app/preorders/new?campaign_id=wzv5cew If you want to see the full Two Ronnies 'Swedish Made Simple' sketch, you can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc3M1nppd3c So you're 18+ and want to see Micheal Jackson's hair on fire in diorama form. Good news! You can do that on Bobby Fingers Youtube, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHi479xN_po Matt's video 'Was Michael Jackson's hair catching fire in a Pepsi ad the exact mid-point of his life?' can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUuGy5agBfg And we welcome PEANUT to the APS family. The very first A Peanut Squared problem is - If peanut needs to eat 5 g of pellets every day, and hamsters live for two years, how many grams of pellets is Bec going to need over Peanut’s lifetime?  You can also get your DING' t-shirts here https://a-problem-squared.teemill.com. If you'd like to find out which Muppet YOU are, just speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you. If YOU'VE got a problem or a solution, hit us up on our website aproblemsquared.com. And, finally, if you want want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

27 Maalis 202346min

In this episode... 🚍 What’s the probability that you get on a bus and see a colleague who's travelling to the same house as you? 🧽 Can I use a single cheap soap to clean absolutely everything? ✨ And, coincidences. Lots of them. If you've got a problem or a solution, hit us up on our website aproblemsquared.com. You can get your DING' t-shirts here https://a-problem-squared.teemill.com. If you'd like to find out which Muppet YOU are, just speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you. And if you want want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

14 Maalis 202349min

In this episode... Can a spoon keep open champagne fizzy? Are two minimalist rulers more effective than one 30cm ruler? There's some Any Other Bubbness.  And, you're cordially invited to the Royal Society! If you'd like to watch Matt on a very fast motorbike, have a look at this! You can find 'Rapid Motion Through Space: An Incomplete History of Speed' here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYDdHSXRQro&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmicshambles.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title&themeRefresh=1   We want YOU for the 2022 Zeeman presentation! Come cheer on Matt getting his award at Royal Academy in London on the 22nd of March: 'Can we get a DING!?' You can find details on how to attend that here: https://ima.org.uk/21241/ima-lms-christopher-zeeman-lecture-and-medal-presentation/   If you've got a problem or a solution, hit us up on our website aproblemsquared.com.   You can get your DING' t-shirts here https://a-problem-squared.teemill.com.   If you'd like to find out which Muppet YOU are, just speed ahead of Matt and Bec and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you   And if you want want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

27 Helmi 202350min

In this episode...   🪨 Which human names are the least elemental?   🕰️ Why do clocks run clockwise?   🧳 Some news from the business briefcase!   🪵 And an even NEWER stumpdate.   If you'd like to know how to bring plants and more specifically, your stumps, into the UK without an infestation of termites, have a look how, here: https://www.gov.uk/bringing-plants-and-wood-into-great-britain/from-outside-the-eu   Here are the free IMBD data sets used by Matt in his problem: https://www.imdb.com/interfaces/   And if you'd like to find out which Muppet you definitely are you can speed ahead of Matt and Bec, and find that out here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/which-muppet-are-you   If you've got a problem or a solution, hit us up on our website aproblemsquared.com.   You can buy A Problem Squared 'DING' t-shirts here https://a-problem-squared.teemill.com.   And if you want want even more from A Problem Squared, find us on Twitter and Instagram.

13 Helmi 202339min