The Infinite Monkey Cage

How to think like a mathematician


Listen Later

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Jo Brand, mathematicians Prof Hannah Fry and Dr Eugenia Cheng, and xkcd webcomic creator Randall Munroe to discover how thinking like a mathematician could solve some tricky everyday conundrums. From the optimal strategy to finding your true love, to how to fix a wonky table in the pub, thinking like a mathematician can help you in some very unlikely situations. They discover how mathematical thinking can help answer some truly out of this world questions as well: how much soup would it take to fill the solar system? What would happen if you shrank Jupiter to the size of a house? Not problems we'd encounter in everyday life maybe, but all questions sent to Randall Munroe for his "What If?" series of books. At first glance the questions may seem impossible, but, as it turns out, maths and physics can provide an answer to these headscratchers, as the panel discover.

Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Infinite Monkey CageBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

1,839 ratings


More shows like The Infinite Monkey Cage

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,718 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

522 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

891 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,066 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

304 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,474 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,119 Listeners

No Such Thing As A Fish by No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Fish

4,863 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

485 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

347 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

406 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

823 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

233 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

367 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

234 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

126 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

332 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,223 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

66 Listeners

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel by WTF Productions

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel

89 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

837 Listeners

The Rest Is Politics by Goalhanger

The Rest Is Politics

3,033 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

537 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

622 Listeners

We Can Be Weirdos by Global

We Can Be Weirdos

193 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

351 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

264 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

60 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

77 Listeners

The History Bureau by BBC

The History Bureau

0 Listeners