The Math Club

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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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the Borda count method and how is it used in ranked choice voting? • How does plurality with elimination redistribute votes to determine a winner?

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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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What are the odds of flipping n heads in a row? • In the Daniel Litt coin puzzle, who is more likely to find two heads first: Alice or Bob?

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...

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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.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What are some unanswered problems in mathematics. • What is the Goldbach conjecture and how does it relate to prime numbers? • What is the Twin Prime conjecture and how are these pairs distributed along the number line?

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

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What are the MATHCOUNTS Competition and the MATHCOUNTS National Math Club programs like? • How does the MATHCOUNTS competition structure work across school, chapter, state, and national levels?

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.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the 37 percent rule in the secretary problem? • How does the mathematical constant e relate to optimal stopping theory?

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.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • Can you use math to predict the banker's offers on Deal or No Deal? • What is the difference between using a linear model and a random forest algorithm for data analysis?

The recent return of this classic game show prompts Pete and Noah to discuss the probability and statistics at work, to see if they can figure out what makes for a "good deal". Join in as they dive into the mathematics behind the show. They'll even present you with a challenge that could earn you a shout out on a future episode.

• Deal or No Deal Data for this episode's challenge

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the expected value of the briefcases in Deal or No Deal, and how do you calculate it? • How do the mean and median of the briefcase amounts affect player perception in Deal or No Deal?

It's The Math Club's second anniversary, and what better way to celebrate than by telling a bunch of math jokes? Join us as we share our favorites, along with jokes from our listeners and a few special surprises along the way. Knock knock. Who's there? The Math Club!