Unfortunately, Matt has been ill and lost his voice so we were unable to record the episode that should be coming out this week.

To make up for it, we are releasing an episode of the usually-Patreon-only I Am A Wizard for you to listen to. It's the one from April this year and features a magical offer from our listener who is, apparently, a wizard - USBinPRL. But we begin with a message from Bec, who can still speak.

If you want more wizarding silliness then join our Patreon at patreon.com/aproblemsquared - you'll get access to all the past episodes of I Am A Wizard, a new wizard episode every month, and early access to all episodes of A Problem Squared!

Normal Service will be resumed in Two Weeks!

👁️ How do you remember things if you can’t visualisethem in your mind’s eye?

🍭 What’s the best shape for a freeze pop?

🪣 And there’s some Any Other Beachness

Head to our socials to see freeze pop pics, Matt(not that one)’s tooth and the AOB gifts!

Here’s a link to the University of Exeter’s The Eye’s Mind project: https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/eyesmind/ 

And here’s a selection of freeze pops and anti-prisms…

https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/del-monte-quality-pineapple-freeze-pop-8-x-62ml

https://www.vimto.co.uk/vimto-range/product/vimto-pyramids/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_antiprism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disphenoid

 See Matt on tour! http://standupmaths.com/shows/

Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths 

 And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt: https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

￡ What’s the optimum strategy to win The Price Is Right?

🦷 Why have Tim’s baby teeth fallen apart?

🛠️ And there’s some Any Other Billy Bookcase Business

Head to our socials to play along with The Price Is Right and to see a video of Ikea Wars!

Here are the GIANT LETTERS sent in by Phillip:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yZaofcfNPaF5HyX17

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillside_letters

If you’re in Edinburgh for the Fringe, get tickets to see Bec here:

https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

And get tickets see to Matt here:

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths 

And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt:

https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

🍆 What’s the “female equivalent” of phallic?

What’s the font size of the Hollywood sign?

🦈 And we’re always open for AOBusiness

Thanks to our excellent experts appearing in voicenote form - Dr Ben Whittle, Chella Quint OBE, and Linus Boman.

Daan’s paper in the American Journal of Archaeology which cites this very podcast: doi.org/10.1086/735650 

The world’s largest enlarged letter: https://www.pleasedonotbend.co.uk/categories/world-record

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

And you can get tickets see to Matt here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths 

And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt: https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

🃏 What’s the deal with cards?

🫕 What is the perfect ratio of chips to dips?

🍔 And there’s some Any Other B-B-Q-B-ness

Head to our socials to see the card shuffle and patterns, Bec’s starstruck selfie, and our chips ‘n’ dips experiment!

For all your homemade snacking needs:

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tortillas

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/homemade-tortilla-chips-guacamole-charred-tomato-salsa

It’s 5 o’chop Somewhere! (Really excellent work from Eve)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DKZSlCGIdCZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== 

And some info about Aphantasia as mentioned by Keith…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphantasia

And synaesthesia…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synesthesia

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here:

https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

And you can get tickets see to Matt here:

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths 

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

🚂 If you want a career change, how do you decide what to retrain as?

👶 What would be a good set of names for twins or triplets?

🦷 And there’s some Any Other Busi

Here’s some baby naming code from Colin Beveridge: https://github.com/icecolbeveridge/zoe_names

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

And you can get tickets see to Matt here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

If you are in Edinburgh and fancy seeing Matt and Bec battle it out in Ikea Wars on Sunday 10th August, tickets are here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/ikea-wars

Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths 

If you are on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

🌞 How far away from the Sun do we have to travel before we can look at it without damaging our eyes?

📆 Is there an off by one error with anniversaries?

🍝 And AOB has been slow cooked and packed up in tupperware for safe storage

The starting point for Matt’s theory:

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-maximum-light-intensity-that-a-human-eye-can-withstand-without-being-damaged 

Astroid Mattparker: 

https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=mattparker 

Distance to Voyager 1: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/where-are-voyager-1-and-voyager-2-now/ 

Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter

https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths 

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here:

https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

And you can get tickets to see Matt here:

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

🎶 Why are songs easier to remember than sentences?

⚙️ Can we come up with new names (that meet strict criteria) for leader/follower motors?

🌟 And it’s a glitzy, toothy, clackety AOB

As discussed in the intro, here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:

https://youtu.be/nGtVej1Qx5Y

And here's the link:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/standupmaths/moon-pi-were-going-to-calculate-on-the-moon

And head to our socials to see the Corris Railway Traverser!

For tickets to Bec Hill’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at the Museum of Comedy, London on 19/06/2025, go here: https://museumofcomedy.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873654374 

For some glittery further reading, here’s that NYT article https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/style/glitter-factory.html

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

And you can get tickets to see Matt here:

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

🎲What’s the best design for non-traditional dice?

📄 What should you call paperwork that doesn’t involve paper?

🙋And it’s more a comment than a question in AOB

Head to our socials to see Matt’s excellent Angry Man In Local Newspaper photos.

If you’d like to peruse and purchase more dice variations, head here:

https://mathsgear.co.uk/collections/dice 

If you have any paperlesspaperwork suggestions, join in here!

https://www.reddit.com/r/AProblemSquared/

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Matt here:

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

And you can get tickets see Bec here:

https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.

4️⃣ What would it look like to be trapped in a 4D world?

🥰 What is the meaning of marriage?

✨Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get AOBusy

Head to our socials to see some fantastic representations of 2D meets 3D meets 4D in fiction, some magical magic, and an alphabetically perfect travel route (for 40 days in 1990).

If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Matt here:

https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths

And you can get tickets see Bec here:

https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/

If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!  

If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with 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.