Ever find yourself squinting at a metric label, trying to figure out how much a liter is in cups—or how heavy your suitcase is in pounds? In this episode of Math! Science! History!, host Gabrielle Birchak shares fast, intuitive tricks to help you convert metric units, without numbers, calculators, or charts.

Through rhythm, storytelling, and everyday comparisons, you’ll learn how to feel conversions in your head, whether you’re driving, walking, or cooking. From chocolate bars and milk jugs to cat weights and yoga mats, we’re turning complex conversions into simple, memorable cues. This episode is perfect for anyone who wants to sharpen their mental math, and sound like a genius without pulling out their phone.

3 Things You'll Learn in This Episode:

- How to mentally visualize metric conversions using sensory and familiar objects—no math required.- Real-world reference points for converting volume, weight, distance, and temperature.- Simple memory tricks to help internalize metric vs. imperial conversions while on the go.

Resources Mentioned:Metric System Overview – National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Quick Conversion Tables – Metric Conversions 3 Simple Tricks For Converting Metric Units In Your Head

Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

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Episode Overview

How did a bold Enlightenment vision become the universal language of science and technology? In this episode of Math! Science! History!, Gabrielle takes you on a journey through the revolutionary origins, global adoption, and modern significance of the metric system. Discover how a chaotic world of local measurements gave way to an elegant, decimal-based system designed to unify not just France—but the entire planet. From the daring expedition of Delambre and Méchain to today's atomic-clock-calibrated definitions, this story reveals how the metric system continues to shape spaceflight, AI, and even cryptocurrency.

3 Things You Will Learn

Why the French Revolution called for a measurement system “for all people, for all time.”

How the metric system evolved from platinum prototypes to quantum-based constants.

Why the metric system is essential in today’s world, from Mars missions to microchips.

Resources & References

BIPM – International System of Units (SI)

NIST – Redefinition of the Kilogram

Alder, Ken. The Measure of All Things

Quinn, Terry. From Artefacts to Atoms

O’Connor, Anahad. “Why the U.S. Doesn't Use the Metric System” – The New York Times

 

Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

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Website: mathsciencehistory.com Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/math-science-history 

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🎵 Audio: Mixed by David Aviles

Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers Waltz with Me by Beat Mekanik Camille Saint-Saëns, Danse Macabre by Kevin MacLeod

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Episode Overview:

In this episode of Math, Science, History, host Gabrielle Birchak explores the extraordinary life and legacy of Alan Turing, the brilliant mathematician, codebreaker, and father of artificial intelligence. From cracking the German Enigma code in World War II to laying the theoretical foundations for modern computing, Turing’s story is one of genius, perseverance, and tragic injustice. This episode examines not only his scientific contributions but also the deeply personal journey of a man whose work continues to shape our world.

  3 Things You'll Learn in This Episode:- How Alan Turing’s theoretical "Turing Machine" became the foundation of computer science. - How Turing’s work at Bletchley Park helped end WWII and save millions of lives. - How his tragic treatment after the war led to a powerful legacy of recognition, apology, and progress in both science and human rights.

Click here to listen to my interview with Daniel Shiu: https://sites.libsyn.com/212183/the-codebreakers-who-reshaped-uk-mathematics-daniel-shiu-on-bletchley-parks-lasting-impact 

Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

Let’s Connect!

www.Instagram.com/math.science.history

https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social

https://www.linkedin.com/company/math-science-history/

https://www.threads.com/@math.science.history   Resources!

Bletchley Park Museum: https://bletchleypark.org.uk

The Turing Institute: https://www.turing.ac.uk

Hodges, Andrew. Alan Turing: The Enigma.

National Museum of Computing: https://www.tnmoc.org

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Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. On Matters of Consequence from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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In this episode of Math, Science, History, host Gabrielle Birchak sits down with Daniel Shiu to discuss his recent article in Cryptologia, “The Influence of Bletchley Park on UK Mathematics.”

What began as a top-secret wartime codebreaking operation became a powerful incubator for intellectual exchange and mathematical innovation. Dr. Shiu unpacks how the intense collaboration and problem-solving culture at Bletchley Park spilled over into British academic institutions, shaping research directions, creating new career paths, and forging a generation of mathematical minds.

Together, we explore:

How cryptographic work at Bletchley Park sparked post-war mathematical advancements

The role of camaraderie, innovation, and shared urgency in building lasting academic communities

Why this hidden history still matters in today’s mathematical and cybersecurity landscapes

Whether you're a WWII history buff, a mathematician, or a fan of untold stories, this episode will uncover a rarely discussed legacy of Bletchley Park.

Listen now and explore the crossroads of history, math, and memory.

Read the full article: “The Influence of Bletchley Park on UK Mathematics” Published in Cryptologia: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01611194.2025.2457086

🌍 Let’s Connect!

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Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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Episode Overview:

In this episode of Math, Science, History, we hop into a fictional electric vehicle—Einstein's EV—and cruise through space and time to uncover the fascinating world of relativity. What is the theory of relativity, and how did a curious young patent clerk change our understanding of the universe forever?

Using simple language and a fun driving analogy, we break down the core ideas behind both Special and General Relativity, explore Einstein’s thought experiments, and show how his discoveries shape your daily life—yes, even your GPS.

Whether you're a physics newbie or a science buff, this episode offers a friendly, accessible introduction to one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in history.

3 Things You'll Learn in This Episode:

How Einstein's thought experiments led to the discovery of relativity.

What “time dilation” and “space-time curvature” actually mean—and how they affect your everyday life.

Why your GPS wouldn’t work without Einstein’s theory.

Resources & Further Reading:

Einstein’s 1905 Papers on Special Relativity (English Translation)

NASA: General Relativity - Theory and Tests

PBS Space Time: How GPS Relies on Relativity

Einstein Online - Max Planck Institute

 

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🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. On Matters of Consequence from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Math, Science, History, host Gabrielle dives deep into the extraordinary—yet often overlooked—life and legacy of Mileva Marić, Albert Einstein’s first wife and intellectual companion. Far more than a footnote in Einstein’s story, Mileva was a brilliant physicist and mathematician in her own right. Together, the couple studied, collaborated, and may have laid the foundation for some of the most revolutionary scientific breakthroughs of the 20th century.

Gabrielle uncovers newly re-examined letters, analyzes quotes from Einstein’s professors and contemporaries, and presents biographical findings that shed light on Marić’s intellectual contributions to Einstein’s early work—especially during the years leading up to his famous 1905 Annus Mirabilis.

3 Things You'll Learn in This Episode:

How Mileva Marić helped shape Einstein’s early scientific thinking—and what letters and biographies reveal about their collaboration.

What Einstein’s professors and colleagues really thought about his student days—and why Minkowski called him a “lazybones.”

Why historians now believe Mileva Marić’s role in Einstein’s 1905 papers may have been more significant than previously acknowledged.

Resources Mentioned:

The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein – Vol. 1: The Early Years, 1879–1902

Albert Einstein and Mileva Marić: The Love Letters (Princeton University Press)

Senta Troemel-Ploetz, “Mileva Einstein-Marić: The Woman Who Did Einstein’s Mathematics”

Desanka Trbuhović-Gjurić, Im Schatten Albert Einsteins (German)

Einstein’s letters at Christie's Auction House

🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

 🌍 Let’s Connect!

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🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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Episode Overview:

In this Flashcard Friday episode of Math! Science! History! host Gabrielle Birchak shines a light on the incredible story of Jacoba van den Brande, a seventeenth-century Dutch visionary who dared to imagine a world where women could be educated in mathematics, philosophy, and the sciences. Long before women had access to formal education, Jacoba not only excelled in math herself but also proposed the radical idea of an all-female academy. Join us as we explore her life, her bold vision, and how her ideas still echo through the halls of academia today.

Three Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The life and legacy of Jacoba van den Brande and her place in the history of mathematics.

The barriers women faced in 17th-century Europe when pursuing intellectual and academic opportunities.

Why Jacoba’s vision of an all-female academy remains relevant to ongoing conversations about equity and access in education.

Resources & Further Reading:

Wikipedia entry on Jacoba van den Brande

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky

“Women and Science Before the Enlightenment” - Journal Article via JSTOR

Simon Stevin: Biography & Contributions

🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 

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 🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. On Matters of Consequence from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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Episode Overview:

In this special time-travel episode of Math, Science, History, Gabrielle steps back into the Enlightenment to interview legendary French mathematician and philosopher Pierre-Simon Laplace. Together, they explore the bold ideas behind his famed thought experiment, Laplace’s Demon, a being capable of predicting the entire past and future of the universe. But how does that vision hold up in the age of quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence?

Through immersive storytelling, direct quotes from Laplace’s writings, and modern scientific context, this episode invites listeners to examine the nature of certainty, probability, free will, and machine intelligence, and ask the ultimate question: Is AI today the digital version of Laplace’s Demon? In This Episode, You'll Learn:

How Laplace envisioned a fully deterministic universe—and why he believed uncertainty was only a matter of ignorance.

How chaos theory and quantum mechanics challenged that deterministic view.

Why today’s artificial intelligence reflects both the dreams and the limits of Laplace’s Demon.

Resources and Laplace’s Writings:

📘 A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities (English translation): https://archive.org/embed/aphilosophicale00laplgoog

🌐 Brief biography and overview from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/laplace/

AI voices by ElevenLabs. Try it out for your projects! My affiliate link is here: https://try.elevenlabs.io/qhh6dk0ikse6 

🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

 🌍 Let’s Connect!

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🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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Episode Overview

In this episode of Math, Science, History, host Gabrielle Birchak unpacks the deep connection between math and logic. From the foundations of reasoning to Euclid’s cookie-themed proof of infinite primes and the mind-bending Russell's Paradox, you’ll explore how logic shapes the very core of mathematics. Whether you're a math lover, teacher, or curious thinker, this episode will challenge the way you see numbers and arguments.

What You’ll Learn:

- Why logic is the foundation of all mathematical proof and reasoning.

- The clever logic behind Euclid’s timeless proof of infinite prime numbers.

- How paradoxes like Russell’s exposed the limits of early set theory and reshaped modern math.

Links & Resources:

An Introduction to Mathematical Logic by Richard E. Hodel This book offers a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental concepts of mathematical logic, making it suitable for beginners and those looking to solidify their understanding.

Proofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos Presented as a series of dialogues, this classic work explores the philosophy of mathematics and the process of mathematical discovery, challenging readers to think critically about proofs and the evolution of mathematical ideas.

The Laws of Thought by George Boole This seminal work lays the foundation for Boolean algebra, delving into the relationship between logic and mathematics, and is essential reading for those interested in the logical structures underpinning mathematical reasoning.

Introduction to Mathematical Logic by Elliott Mendelson Renowned for its clarity and depth, this text covers various aspects of mathematical logic, including set theory and computability, and is highly recommended for those seeking a rigorous exploration of the subject.

Logic: A Very Short Introduction by Graham Priest This concise guide provides an engaging overview of logic, touching upon its philosophical implications and practical applications, making it a great starting point for listeners new to the topic.

Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 

To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

Let’s Connect!

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Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. On Matters of Consequence from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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🔎 Episode Overview

In this episode I explore the fascinating world of Boolean logic, from its 19th-century origins with George Boole to its modern-day applications in artificial intelligence, search engines, and even board games. Learn how simple logical operators like AND, OR, and NOT have shaped computer science—and how you can use these same tools to win at the classic mystery game Clue.

Visit us at MathScienceHistory.com to get a ClueLogic Tracking Sheet and Cheat Sheet to help you play smarter, faster, and more strategically. Whether you're a logic lover, a game-night champion, or just curious about how abstract math became the language of machines, this episode is for you.

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

- The history and evolution of Boolean logic

- How Claude Shannon brought Boolean logic into circuit design

- How logic gates led to the rise of computers

- How to apply Boolean logic to everyday thinking and decision-making

- Boolean-based strategies to win at Clue (yes, including XOR and IF-THEN!)

🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com 📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

🌍 Let’s Connect!

Website: mathsciencehistory.com Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/mathsciencehistory.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/math.science.history

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If you love Math, Science, History, here’s how you can help:🌟 Leave a review – It helps more people discover the show!📢 Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!🔔 Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform

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🎵 Music: All music is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved. Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

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