Quite Easily Done

The curious case of the WWII carrier pigeon and the unbreakable code

A British couple discover the remains of a WWII carrier pigeon behind their chimney. It was carrying a coded message. Code experts believe the code used was something called a One-Time Pad Cipher, and that the message will remain unbreakable,...

QED Code Challenge 2012: solution and winners!

A description of how I broke the code: http://www.singingbanana.com/codechallenge2012.htm Here's another excellent explanation from Rule The Web (http://www.youtube.com/user/rtwvidz) http://ruletheweb.co.uk/blog/2012/03/singing-banana-code-challenge-2012/

Maths Puzzle: Coins Solution

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 4th February 2011 Take a random pile of coins. If I tell you how many coins are heads and how many coins are tails, can you separate the pile into two piles with the same number of...

Maths Puzzle: Coins

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 31st January 2011. Take a random pile of coins. If I tell you how many coins are heads and how many coins are tails, can you separate the pile into two piles with the same number of...

Möbius Strip Hearts (For Valentine's Day)

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 6th February 2011. The Möbius Strip is a strange mathematical shape which is a loop with only one side and one edge. For more information see wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobius_strip This is not a new idea, and for this and...

QED Code Challenge 2012

Send your entries to the Enigma Project http://enigma.maths.org Challenge ends on the 1st of March 2012. And check out NRICH: http://nrich.maths.org (February 2012 is code month) cipher: VA BT LS EG OT XK PB BH CI FV GA YC QG BP UW IH...

Top Trumps Investigations

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 26th February 2011 Top Trumps is a popular game were players compare stats on their favourite subject. But I wondered, are all packs of Top Trumps the same? Is there a formula? And if there isn't could...

Maths Puzzle: Back to Black

I have a board that uses the numbers 1 to 90. I fill the board with Othello piece, they are black on one side and white on the other. All the pieces start black side up. First I flip every...

Why does 1=0.999...?

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 28th April 2011 A common question, why does 1=0.999... If you want to know more, Wikipedia has a good article on the subject http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0.999... Join the discussion on YouTube http://youtu.be/G_gUE74YVos

Straw Kazoo

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 21st May 2011. A silly one, and this time not about mathematics but a fun physics demonstration.

Can you crack the combination lock? - Solution

The sequence 11221 contains all 2-digit combinations using the numbers 1 and 2. A sequence such as that is called a De Bruijn sequence. I show you three methods to find such sequence.

Can you crack the combination lock?

The sequence 11221 contains all 2-digit combinations using the numbers 1 and 2. Can you find a sequence that contains all the 3-digit combinations using the numbers 1, 2, and 3. What is the shortest such sequence? Can you find a sequence...

Maths Puzzle: First to get a head solution

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 28th May 2011 Solution the the First to get a head problem

The Maths of Christmas

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 19th December 2009 My true love gave to me Triangle Numbers.

Maths Puzzle: First to get a head

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 25th May 2011. Let's get ready to rhumble...!

Wisdom of the Crowds competition - the answer

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 24th June 2011 We reveal the answer to my Wisdom of the Crowds competition. I asked you to guess how many jellybeans were in a jar. How close was the wisdom of the crowd, but first we...

10000 YouTube Subscribers and Wisdom of the Crowds

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 12th June 2011 Competition is over I'm afraid, but you may still like to play. Here's a photo of the jar: http://tumblr.com/xqt2yusc39

28 Minutes Later - The Maths of Zombies

So, to survive a zombie attack you need to run. In the long term we need a fortified society, but if the barricades fall we need to reduce the speed of infection, slow them down, and be more deadly than...

Mentally Unsolvable (?) Card Trick Tutorial

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 17th July 2011. Watch the tutorial by mismag822 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BZFx1eUOFs Originally posted by zachcloseupmagic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vUiXp6HGXs

Make a Post-it Note Dodecahedron!

How to make a Post-it Note Dodecahedron. Fun and beautiful! If you make one yourself send me the photo! Email address in the video. Follow me on Facebook/twitter etc http://singingbanana.com Thanks to Colin Wright who taught this to me. Follow Colin at...

Whispering Jokers

QED Gold: Originally uploaded on YouTube on 14th July 2011 Watch the tutorial by mismag822 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8shpCoZHdY Watch the trick performed on Penn and Teller's Fool Us http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJwbBP1akY8

The Slide Rule

No shoes allowed on the helter skelter.

The Trinity College Clock, Cambridge

A look at the Trinity College clock with Hugh Hunt. For more information: http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/clock

Puzzle: Mathematical Ants Solution

Solution to my last video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAmhA_SmzsI This puzzle was given to me by Rob Eastaway http://www.robeastaway.com/ Books by Rob Eastaway (I do recommend them!) Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/pSsLYO Amazon USA: http://amzn.to/qWAQvI

Puzzle: Mathematical Ants

A little puzzle to pass the time...

What's the probability you live in an odd numbered house?

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 5th August 2011 A video of me reading my original blog post out loud http://singingbanana.tumblr.com/post/6629627960/whats-the-probability-you-live-in-an-odd-numbered The original Facebook poll: https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=question&id=218841344812765&qa_ref=qd

Game of Nine Solution

Solution to my 'Game of Nine' video: http://youtu.be/ue4Baa8Mhn8 Each player takes it in turns to pick a number, the first to pick three numbers that add up to 15 wins. With this simulation you don't even need a friend! http://gammahoo.de/gameofnine Thanks to GammahooX...

Survey: What's Your Favourite Number?

QED Gold: Originally uploaded 1st June 2011. Survey ends October 2011 so there is still time to take part! Take part in our survey at http://www.favouritenumber.net

Game of Nine

Here is a game for you to play and investigate. Is there a winning strategy? Each player takes it in turns to pick a number, the first to pick three numbers that add up to 15 wins. With this simulation you don't...

Flipping 10 heads in a row: Full video

Even unlikely events happen given enough opportunities.

Flipping 10 heads in a row

Welcome to Quite Easily Done

A short welcome to my channel.

Benford's Law - How mathematics can detect fraud!

Benford's Law is a truly surprising fact about the frequency of numbers when studying data such as prices, populations, rivers, even street addresses. And if someone's accounts do not follow Benford's Law then they may be committing fraud!

Simple Maths

Some simple maths filmed at the Mathematical Association annual conference dinner, 2011. With thanks to everyone involved.

What is the point?

"What is the point of mathematics?"

Maths Problem: Connect the towns solution (Motorway Problem)

What is the minimum amount of road needed to connect these four towns together? Known as the Motorway Problem or Steiner Problem. An experimental solution.

Connect The Towns

What is the minimum distance to connect four towns?