A Problem Squared

🚘 What happens when tires get tired?

🧊 What is the equation for the curve on a spinning Ruibik’s cube?

📜 And there’s some pin related AOB!

Find out more about the counting crows here: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl0984

You can hear Bec on Ali Plumb’s podcast ‘Screen Time’ here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r4zfx/episodes/downloads

If you want to learn more about the EMF Festival, follow this link: https://www.emfcamp.org/

To read ‘Where the tire meets the road: Emerging environmental impacts of tire wear particles and their chemical cocktails’, go here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171153

For more information on the cones, ruled surfaces, hyperbolic paraboloids and more, have a look at the links below!

• https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Hyperboloid.html

• https://mathworld.wolfram.com/RuledSurface.html

• https://mathworld.wolfram.com/HyperbolicParaboloid.html

You can see some nice hyperboloid structures here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperboloid#Hyperboloid_structures

As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.

And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

🧗 Is it possible to climb every mountain? 

🌞 Can you simulate an eclipse if you miss the real thing? 

📜 And some loose ends (and change), in AOB! 

If you’d like to enter the very same gravel race as Matt Parker, you can find out more details here: https://sevengravelrace.com/the-race/

You can listen to ‘Climb Any Mountain’ from the Sound of Music soundtrack here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKuqySkqhHw&ab_channel=COSMOTOPPER777

And to watch the 1991 The Shamen hit ‘Move Any Mountain’ referenced by Matt (which we later discovered was made by our very own Producer Lauren’s dad!) Follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpjnzxtZ6Qg&ab_channel=Vesanorabonah

You can find details for Matt’s Peak data here: https://peakvisor.com/

https://peakvisor.com/en/news/how_many_mountains_on_earth.html

https://peakvisor.com/en/news/unnamed-mountains.html

In our Dinglett this week Matt referenced JHelioviewer, where you can access real time solar image data. Do that here: https://www.jhelioviewer.org/

And Bec’s very sensible suggestion for Problem Poser Aaron, to watch the Oculus’ broadcast of the 2024 total eclipse: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/event/1074832456934803/

SFX for Bec’s victory can be found at Fresound.org, ‘VICTORY CRY Reverb 1’ was made by chripei and ‘Music: Orchestral Victory Fanfare’ was made by Sheyvan. 

As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.

And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

🙏 Is this emoji praying hands or a high five? 

🍚 What's the best present for celebrating a billion seconds?

💼 For the first time we have Any Other Business WITH SPECIAL GUESTS!

If you want a collectable (and mistake-ridden) copy of ‘Love Triangle’, with a special, limited edition book cover designed by print-artist Paul Catherall. You'll get one free while stocks last. Head over to MathsGear! https://mathsgear.co.uk/products/love-triangle-by-matt-parker-signed

Here’s some background on the ‘Folded Hands’ emoji mentioned in Bec’s problem: https://blog.emojipedia.org/emojiology-folded-hands/

This is the pixelated 2001 Softbank version of the Folded Hands emoji: https://emojipedia.org/softbank/2001/folded-hands

Here’s the KDDI emoji from 2003, where someone is literally praying: https://emojipedia.org/au-kddi/type-d-1/folded-hands

You can find the ‘glowing’ folded hands emoji put out by Apple in 2008 here: https://emojipedia.org/apple/iphone-os-2.2/folded-hands

You can find some more variations of the folded hand emoji (including with faces) here: https://b1681952.smushcdn.com/1681952/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Early-Versions-Folded-Hands-Emojipedia-1.jpg?lossy=0&strip=1&webp=1

There were some fascinating early issues with Unicode (which made emojis universal), where ‘yellow hearts’ sent by iOS users would show up as ‘hairy hearts’ on Android phones. You can read about that here: https://web.archive.org/web/20140502051433/http://www.tuaw.com/2014/04/30/you-may-be-accidentally-sending-friends-a-hairy-heart-emoji/

You can find the Unicode emoji design guidelines here: https://unicode.org/reports/tr51/#Design_Guidelines

And if you want to find out whether you’ve already passed your 1 Billionth Second, you can do that here: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=10%5E9+seconds+in+years+and+days

If you want to find out whether you’ve already passed your 1 Billionth Second, you can do that here: https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=10%5E9+seconds+in+years+and+days

As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com. And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

🪙 How many coins would you need to sort through to collect all commemorative €2 coins in circulation? 

📍How do you display enamel pins?! 

💼 The Any Other Business briefcase is…mostly open. 

Here’s the Coupon Collector’s problem video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BstloCx8KDk

You can see more on the “Number of banknotes/coins returned from circulation in Euro Area, Euro area (changing composition), Monthly” here: https://data.ecb.europa.eu/data/datasets/BKN/BKN.M.U2.RE10.C.20P0.AS.F.E

And, Wiki Sources: “2 euro commemorative coins” on good old Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_euro_commemorative_coins

As always, send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.

And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

In this episode...

🎂 Where did birthday cake come from? 

🚗 How come my indicator is never in sync with other cars waiting to turn?

💼 And, as always, some business from the business briefcase.

Nina, here’s that recipe for Greek Honey Cake: https://www.food.com/recipe/greek-honey-cake-428671

And for more cake from around the world, look no further than this infographic: https://i.imgur.com/lhhotIE.png

Here’s the Ben Eater video referenced by Matt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRlSFm519Bo

And the fascinating paper about time perception and its illusions: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866156/

Please do send us your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com

If you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

🌒 What’s the best place to see the next solar eclipse? 

💤 Do animals dream? 

💼 The Any Other Business briefcase is…half open. 

Send your problems and solutions to our website: www.aproblemsquared.com.

For a detailed look at the path of the 2026 eclipse, here’s the website referenced by Matt: https://eclipsophile.com/future-eclipses-2024-2028/

If you want to hear the full interview with David Pena Guzman about animal consciousness referenced by Bec, you can do that here: https://news.uchicago.edu/do-animals-dream-david-m-pena-guzman.

Videos of Sky potentially dreaming will be on social media. Tell us what you think? Do dogs dream? 

And, if you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

🔔🚨This is an emergency broadcast🚨🔔

Unfortunately a bout of sudden food poisoning has got in the way of our latest recording session. Everyone's safe (now) but as you may have noticed, we're missing an episode.

We've now got a new date in the diary but the podcast won't be back for two weeks - sorry about that everyone!

SO in this episode, A Problem Squared presents...

🧙‍♀️ The first EVER episode of bonus podcast I'm A Wizard.

🪄A latter and very silly episode of I'm A Wizard.

We HOPE this is a good solution to our emergency problem, but only you, the listener, can give us that ding.

And if you'd like to hear more from the Wizards, you can join up on Patreon and give as little or as much as you like.

Thanks everyone!

In this episode...

🧺 What is lint? 

👌 When does zero count? 

💼 And, as always, some business from the business briefcase. 

Please do send us your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com.

Bec’s got loads of gigs coming up! If you wanna go see her check out dates on her website: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs.

Matt’s also got an Evening of Unnecessary Detail every two weeks at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone, London.

There’s going to be a mathssive (get it) Evening of Unnecessary Detail Extravaganza show at the Bristol Beacon on the 12th March.Find details for those here: https://festivalofthespokennerd.com/tickets/.

If you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

In this episode…

🥧 Can Pi ever repeat itself? 

🪜 Is it impossible for cube-based stairs to be identical?

📈 And some Business of an Any Other Nature. 

If you want to see the biggest hand calculation in HISTORY, you can! Just head over to Matt’s YouTube channel on the 14th of March: https://www.youtube.com/@standupmaths

An Evening of Unnecessary Detail is BACK IN NEW YORK! On the 14th of April, at The Bell House in Brooklyn from 7:30pm! 

• You can get tickets for that here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/matt-parker-an-evening-of-unnecessary-detail-tickets-847453715877?aff=oddtdtcreator

Ever wanted to know the answer to whether ALL Japanese snacks scale with the packaging imagery? Well now you can, on Bec’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-roi6FdISY&ab_channel=BecHill

GO SEE BEC! She’s playing in Reading and Louth in April. You can find the dates for that, here: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs

YOU CAN PRE-ORDER MATT’S NEW BOOK ‘Love Triangle’ NOW! 

• For a signed, but full priced copy with a special dust jacket follow this link: https://mathsgear.co.uk/products/love-triangle-by-matt-parker-signed

• Or for 21% off your pre-order, follow this link to Waterstones: https://tinyurl.com/2fdjnwwz

As always, please send your problems and solutions to the Problem Solving Page, here: www.aproblemsquared.com.

If you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.

In this episode…

🍼 What’s the best method for naming a human child?

🎊 How do you turn 45^2=2025 into a birthday celebration?

📜 AYE-YOOO-BEEEE.

Please do send us your problems and solutions to the website: www.aproblemsquared.com

Bec’s got loads of gigs coming up! If you wanna go see her check out dates on her website: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs

Matt’s also got an Evening of Unnecessary Detail every two weeks at the Cockpit Theatre in Marylebone, London.

There’s going to be a mathssive (get it) Evening of Unnecessary Detail Extravaganza show at the Bristol Beacon on the 12th March.

Find details for those here: https://festivalofthespokennerd.com/tickets/

If you want more from A Problem Squared, you can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, Discord and on Patreon.