Join us for part two of our deep dive into the history of Fermat's Last Theorem.  In this episode, Pete and Noah focus on the fascinating story of Sophie Germain, a 19th century French mathematician who pursued a proof in the face of overwhelming obstacles.  Come learn about this impressive chapter in the saga of one of the most interesting problems in mathematical history.

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A few episodes back, our hosts talked about the great unsolved mathematical problems of our time, and Pete teased an interesting story about one such problem that was finally solved not too long ago.  In this first of a two-part episode, we dive into the fascinating  story of Fermat's Last Theorem...   from its inception, to Fermat's bold claim that he had a proof that he couldn't share, to the mathematical greats of yesteryear who took up the challenge to prove it.  Join us for a look into this intriguing conjecture, and its amazing history.

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In this episode, Pete and Noah are joined by Andy Looney, the creator of the card game Fluxx, to talk about Math Fluxx and his history designing games.  Whether you’re a math person who loves a good game or a game person who loves to do math, we’re sure you’ll find Andy and his story to be interestingly enjoyable.  Game on!

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If you've ever seen a science fiction movie or TV show, then you've heard of the spacetime continuum.  But what is it, and is there math that describes it?  In this episode, Pete and Noah dive into the facts about spacetime, and its fascinating mathematical history.

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It’s the holiday season, and Pete and Noah are getting into the festive spirit by looking at the math behind a favorite Hannukah game.  Join our hosts as they delve into the probabilities of the dreidel and uncover a counterintuitive truth about its fairness.  Whatever traditions you and your family look forward to at this time of year, we promise a lively and interesting time as we take this topic for a spin.  Seasons Greetings!

• Robert Feinerman's paper, An Ancient Unfair Game

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In our last episode, finding Primo, Pete explained a couple of tests that mathematicians use when trying to decide if very large numbers are prime. We thought it might be helpful to see the math written down, so we put together this video bonus.

Finding Primo - full episode

Have you heard the big news?  There’s a new largest known prime number, and Noah wants to know how it was discovered.  In this episode, Pete explains the various tests used to determine the primality of insanely large numbers, and there’s even a prime challenge for you to sink your teeth into.

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Are you ready to revisit the best of The Math Club?  Pete and Noah share a trip down memory lane with a pair of special guests.  But as they dive deeper into their past episodes, a nagging feeling grows harder to ignore..  Who are these mysterious guests, and what strange secret are they hiding from our hosts?

Episodes we reference in our conversation:

• Tales from Decrypt

• Positive Thinking

• Discovery vs. Invention

• MathGPT

• Try out NotebookLM

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The memory of a restaurant-choosing game from grad school inspires Pete and Noah to look at different voting systems, and the math behind how they work to select a winning candidate. From standard majority rules to ranked choice to plurality with elimination, join our hosts for a lively (and timely) conversation about how our voting system can be just as important as our vote.

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An unlikely string of coin flips leads to a conversation about a counterintuive puzzle that Pete found online.  Join in on the fun as Pete and Noah dissect this problem, and talk about multiple ways to approach understanding its solution.

• Daniel Litt's Twitter post with the puzzle

• Noah's Scratch simulation of the problem

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