The Mathematicians Podcast

This week on The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish reflects on a tragic bagel incident, files an HR complaint, and somehow ends up discussing the mathematics of toroidal cross-sections. Join us as we explore the life and work of Perseus the quietly brilliant 2nd-century BCE mathematician who gave us spiric sections. We slice through geometry, history, and a bit too much cream cheese, uncovering how one man's fascination with intersecting bagels helped shape the maths behind modern physics, computer graphics, and breakfast regret.

#SpiricSections #MathsHistory #Torus #AncientMath #MathsPodcast #PerseusTheMathematician #TorusTalk #BagelMaths  #MathsIsEverywhere #HistoryOfMaths #NonConicCurves #MathsWithFlair #HellenisticGeometry #MathsPuns

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, Benjamin Cornish turns his attention to Apollonius of Perga—the ancient Greek mathematician whose work on conic sections shaped the way we understand curves, orbits, and even space travel.

We explore Apollonius' life, his lesser-known contributions beyond geometry, and the deep mathematical ideas that earned him the nickname "The Great Geometer." From the invention of the terms ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola, to the legendary Apollonius Problem—a deceptively simple tangency puzzle with lasting implications—we trace his influence through history and into the modern age.

Perfect for students, teachers, and lovers of mathematical storytelling, this episode offers technical depth, historical intrigue, and a few terrible puns on the side.

Keywords: Apollonius of Perga, conic sections, ancient Greek mathematics, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola, Apollonius problem, tangency geometry, history of mathematics, mathematical storytelling

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What do ancient logic, Stoic philosophy, and paradoxes have in common? Chrysippus of Soli. In this episode, Ben Cornish explores how Chrysippus revolutionised logic and gave Stoicism its rational backbone. Discover his pioneering work in propositional logic, his take on fate and free will, and why his ideas still matter today.

#MathematicalLogic #PropositionalLogic #StoicMathematics #Chrysippus #FormalLogic #HistoryOfMaths #AncientMathematics #LogicalReasoning #PhilosophyOfMaths #MathematicsPodcast #TheMathematiciansPodcast

In this episode of The Mathematicians Podcast, host Benjamin Cornish paddles upstream—literally and figuratively—to explore the remarkable life and ideas of Eratosthenes of Cyrene, the polymath who measured the Earth with astonishing precision and devised one of the most famous algorithms in history: the Sieve of Eratosthenes.

In the show today

How Eratosthenes measured Earth’s circumference over 2,000 years ago

The ingenious method behind the Sieve of Eratosthenes and why it still matters in modern computing

His groundbreaking work in geography, including latitude, longitude, and early ideas of a spherical Earth

His role as chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria—aka the Google of the ancient world

From ancient geometry to prime numbers and historical timekeeping, this episode is a celebration of interdisciplinary thinking, curiosity, and mathematical creativity. Whether you're a teacher, student, or just a curious mind, you'll come away with a renewed appreciation for how math shapes our understanding of the world.

Plus: Learn how to get involved with Un-Natural Numbers, a new YouTube maths chat show supporting emerging voices in math communication.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfve_tIM3e9jh5b_kzIPICmRViIXIcBJ38DyQ5YwfBLzNMHKg/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=108012955586926932884 

Oh no, a list of Keywords (for SEO):

Have a free list of Hashtags:

Grab your ventriloquist dummies and your gimbles, as we catapult ourselves into a story about the worlds first mathematical engineer. If you thought Leonardo Da Vinci was pretty metal, well you're about to meet the 'wood and papyrus' version. It's Philo of Byzantium.

In an exciting new segment of the 'Episode Show Notes', may I present an unappealing list of hashtags for the Search Engine Optimisation:

#MathHistory #MathsHistory

The music was:

"Danse Macabre - Finale"

In this week's episode we look at the life an works of the Great Archimedes. A man who was so much more than what we all think, and we all think quite highly of him. But let's look behind the claw, the screw and the lever and find out who was the mathematician behind the engineer.

You can also find my debut YouTube video about the Quadrature of the Parabola here: @Un-Applied-Maths

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG-SNPXWN-Q3YxLp_R

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG-SNPXWN-Q3YxLp_RiDaAQ

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This week we look at a man who looked at the moon whilst it looked at the sun and thought: "Gosh, that looks far away".

But how far away is the sun, really. Or the better question would be: "How far away are we?"

Let's find out as we measure the life and works of Aristarchus of Samos. The second greatest Samos-ian that we have covered so far.

The music was: 

"Danse Macabre - Finale"

This episode has been a real favourite of mine to record - I sit down with the co-creator of www.euclidea.xyz to ask all of my puzzling questions on how the game was developed, the inspiration behind the puzzles and the role of Euclidean geometry in today's world. 

Further reading for some of the referenced papers: 

https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.02562

https://www.cut-the-knot.org/triangle/TriangleFromBisectors.shtml

The music was:

"Danse Macabre - Finale"

This week: The big cheese. It's Euclid time. Come with me on a journey through his optics, astronomy and or course the elements - a week of exceptionally good maths.

The Music was:

"Danse Macabre - Finale"

This week we look up to one of the most influential stargazers of all time. Autolycus, the very first non-Euclidean geometer, even before Euclid hit the scene. 

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