The Math Club

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.

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email

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

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email

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.

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email

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

• Leave us a voice message

• DM us on Twitter

• Send us an email

Hey Math Club...  Pete and Noah need your help with a data mystery, so they put this mini-episode together.  If you think you have any info that can help shed some light, drop us a line...

• Leave us a voice message

• DM us on Twitter

• Send us an email

Unsolved.  From the origin of Stonehenge, to the identity of Jack the Ripper, to the location of all those missing dryer socks, the world is full of unsolved questions.  But what about math?  Join Pete and Noah as they discuss some of the great unsolved problems facing mathematicians today.

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email

Pete’s efforts to help Noah prepare for an upcoming math competition lead to a conversation with Kristen Chandler, the executive director of MATHCOUNTS.  Join Pete and Noah as they learn about this fascinating organization that provides engaging math programs to middle school students around the country. 

• MATHCOUNTS website

• Email Kristen Chandler

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email

A batch of almost perfect waffles leads Pete and Noah into an exploration of an interesting probability result.  Come find out how, whether you’re eating breakfast or hiring a new employee, math is here to help you make the best choice.

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email

It’s time for our second episode about the mathematics of Deal or No Deal.  At the end of Part 1, Noah asked Pete if The Banker follows certain set rules or patterns when deciding how much to offer contestants, and a challenge was born.  Is it possible to use data from past shows to devise an algorithm that can predict the offers?  Stay tuned as Pete takes Noah along on his mathematical journey in search of a model that works.

• Leave us a voice message

• Find us on Twitter

• Send us an email