The Math Club

We all know people who describe themselves as "not a math person". For many of them it's not simply a preference, but a neurological condition. In this episode, Pete and Noah speak with Dr. Anneke Schreuder about dyscalculia, the lesser-known mathematical counterpart to dyslexia. Join us for an eye-opening conversation as we learn what it is and how it can be identified and treated.

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Questions Answered in the Episode

• What is dyscalculia and how does it affect the brain's ability to process math?
• What are the early warning signs of dyscalculia in children?

The Beach Boys are famous for "getting around", but do you know that the number one gets around a lot, too? In this episode, one takes center stage as Pete and Noah take a central look at some of the places, both exotic and familiar, that one gets around to. This is "one" episode you don't want to miss!

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the definition of a mathematical ring? • How do mathematical rings relate to the number one?

Happy birthday… to us! The Math Club is one year old today, and Pete and Noah are celebrating with a fun-filled discussion of the birthday paradox. Come join the celebration - you might be surprised where it takes you!

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • How many people are needed in a room for there to be a 50% chance of two sharing a birthday? • How does the birthday paradox use probability to calculate shared birthdays?

How much do you think you spent on gas when you took your last road trip? If you live in the United States, chances are that would make you think about your car's miles per gallon. But in other parts of the world, fuel effieciency is measured not in MPG, but in gallons per hundred miles. In this epsiode, Pete and Noah examine this fraction-flipping phenomenon, and weigh in on which version they like better. So hop in the car and get ready to go for a ride with the Math Club.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • Why is gallons per 100 miles a more accurate metric for comparing fuel efficiency improvements than miles per gallon? • How do you convert miles per gallon into gallons per 100 miles?

If we gave you a bunch of positive whole numbers and asked what you get when you add them all up, you'd have a pretty easy time of it... you are The Math Club, after all. But what if we gave you an infinite series of positive whole numbers and asked you what you get when you add them all up? In this episode, Pete and Noah talk about how mathematicians go about assigning a value in this seemingly impossible situation. Join us and learn about divergent series, and be ready to be surprised by some of the results.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the difference between a convergent series and a divergent series? • How can the sum of all positive integers be negative one-twelfth?

If you ever took a geometry class, you probably had to do some mathematical proofs. From the ancient Greeks to modern day mathematicians, proofs have played a vital role in advancing our understanding of the world around us. In this episode, Pete and Noah talk about their own experiences with proofs and look at several different kinds of proof along the way. Hop aboard the math train, and join us in an exploration of the fascinating world of mathematical proofs.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What are the different types of mathematical proofs? • Why are geometric proofs often taught in a two column format?

This week Pete and Noah team up with Shane and Mealey from the Unprofessional Development podcast, a show that features guests from the world of education sharing their stories about teaching. This joint episode finds the four hosts discussing teaching, math, teaching math, and spicy foods.

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When you think about parts of a whole, you probably picture fractions that consist of a numerator and a denominator. But that's not how all cultures throughout history worked with fractional parts. In this episode, Pete and Noah visit ancient Egypt and discuss the completely different way their mathematicians showed parts of a whole. Plus, there's a puzzle about camels!

• Rhind Mathematical Papyrus

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is an Egyptian fraction and how were they written in ancient Egypt? • How did the ancient Egyptians use unit fractions to solve practical problems?

In September of 1990, Parade Magazine columnist Marilyn vos Savant answered a reader's question about a mathematical brain teaser, and received quite the backlash when most of the math community thought her solution was incorrect. Just about three years later, two new friends (and future Math Club hosts) bonded over math for the first time, discussing and debating this exact same puzzle. In this episode, Pete and Noah weave the two stories together into an interesting discussion about conditional probability, counterintuitive results, and being gracious when confronted with, what you believe is, someone else's error.

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Questions Answered in the Episode: • What is the Monty Hall problem? • Why is it better to switch doors in the Monty Hall Problem? • How does conditional probability explain the Monty Hall problem?

This episode is a special math adventure for younger listeners. Pete and Noah are called into school to help with all of the mathy details around a class pizza party, and quickly discover that math is all around us all of the time. Chock full of interesting characters and math challenges for listeners to solve, this story is sure to delight listeners from third grade on up.

Interactive website that goes with the story: https://bit.ly/mathclubjunior

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