Matt Parker and Bec Hill present: A Problem Squared. A podcast dedicated to solving problems of all kinds, such as, "What should I listen to right now?". A Podcast Squared. First one's free. You're welcome.
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119 = Proportions by Bananas and Polygons from Lava
🍌 Is there a more consistent system of measuring things (and is it ‘Banana For Scale’)?🌋 Why and how do hexagons occur in nature?🔔 And there will be a whole Bec of Any Other BecnessHead to our socials to see Matt and Bec playing The Metre Game, lots of bananas for scale, and Matt sporting some very fetching headwear.Some further reading on the origins of ‘Banana For Scale’:https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/banana-for-scale Some further reading on hexagons in basalt:European Geoscience Union article:https://blogs.egu.eu/divisions/ts/2023/05/26/features-from-the-field-columnar-basalts-and-why-hexagons-are-natures-favourite-shape/Physical Review Letters: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.154301See Matt on tour!http://standupmaths.com/shows Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt:https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
118 = Rolling Eyes and Juggling Highs
🎲 What are the odds of rolling snake eyes? (And does it make for good TV?)🤹How long does it take to learn to juggle with seven balls?🛌 And there’s some Any Other Bed’n’BoardnessHead to our socials to see Matt and Bec in action, rolling dice and juggling balls!To find out more about our juggling expert Darryl J Carrington, head to his insta:https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17849564354111457/?hl=enAnd here’s Colin Wright’s video about Sideswap: “Juggling by Numbers - Numberphile” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dwgusHjA0Y Here are Jasper’s links (in Dutch and in English) about the Belgian family and their children’s themed nameshttps://vrtnws.be/p.NvjDVZw5w (Dutch) https://www.reddit.com/r/tragedeigh/comments/17h7ka6/gwenny_32_is_pregnant_of_a_twelfth_child_a/ (English) And here are the visualised shuffles of the card question in Episode 113Tom - https://tehtommeh.github.io/riffle-me-this/Bernhard - https://www.bernhard-werner.de/assets/cindy/applets/card_weave.htmlShaun - https://svermaak.github.io/VisualiseCardShuffle/ If you’re in the market for a phenomenal dwarf hamster set up, here’s Bec’s ebay link:https://www.ebay.com/itm/127379362494 See Matt on tour!http://standupmaths.com/shows Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt: https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6 If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
A Problem Squared - Emergency Episode!
Unfortunately, Matt has been ill and lost his voice so we were unable to record the episode that should be coming out this week.To make up for it, we are releasing an episode of the usually-Patreon-only I Am A Wizard for you to listen to. It's the one from April this year and features a magical offer from our listener who is, apparently, a wizard - USBinPRL. But we begin with a message from Bec, who can still speak.If you want more wizarding silliness then join our Patreon at patreon.com/aproblemsquared - you'll get access to all the past episodes of I Am A Wizard, a new wizard episode every month, and early access to all episodes of A Problem Squared!Normal Service will be resumed in Two Weeks!
117 = Visualising Hacks and Unusual Icy Snacks
👁️ How do you remember things if you can’t visualisethem in your mind’s eye?🍭 What’s the best shape for a freeze pop?🪣 And there’s some Any Other Beachness Head to our socials to see freeze pop pics, Matt(not that one)’s tooth and the AOB gifts! Here’s a link to the University of Exeter’s The Eye’s Mind project: https://blogs.exeter.ac.uk/eyesmind/ And here’s a selection of freeze pops and anti-prisms…https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/del-monte-quality-pineapple-freeze-pop-8-x-62mlhttps://www.vimto.co.uk/vimto-range/product/vimto-pyramids/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_antiprismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disphenoid See Matt on tour! http://standupmaths.com/shows/ Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt: https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6 If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
116 = Guess The Right Price and Why Teeth Might Splice
￡ What’s the optimum strategy to win The Price Is Right?🦷 Why have Tim’s baby teeth fallen apart?🛠️ And there’s some Any Other Billy Bookcase BusinessHead to our socials to play along with The Price Is Right and to see a video of Ikea Wars!Here are the GIANT LETTERS sent in by Phillip:https://maps.app.goo.gl/yZaofcfNPaF5HyX17https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillside_lettersIf you’re in Edinburgh for the Fringe, get tickets to see Bec here:https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/And get tickets see to Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsHere’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter:https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt:https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
115 = Jolly Good Euphemising and Hollywood Sign Sizing
🍆 What’s the “female equivalent” of phallic? What’s the font size of the Hollywood sign?🦈 And we’re always open for AOBusinessThanks to our excellent experts appearing in voicenote form - Dr Ben Whittle, Chella Quint OBE, and Linus Boman.Daan’s paper in the American Journal of Archaeology which cites this very podcast: doi.org/10.1086/735650 The world’s largest enlarged letter: https://www.pleasedonotbend.co.uk/categories/world-recordIf you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/And you can get tickets see to Matt here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsHere’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths And here’s how to volunteer for Calculate Pi By Hand with Matt: https://forms.gle/w44THpNJ3jWUPqHy6If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky,Twitter,Instagram, and on Discord.
114 = Delectable Dips and Dealable Decks
🃏 What’s the deal with cards?🫕 What is the perfect ratio of chips to dips?🍔 And there’s some Any Other B-B-Q-B-nessHead to our socials to see the card shuffle and patterns, Bec’s starstruck selfie, and our chips ‘n’ dips experiment!For all your homemade snacking needs:https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/tortillashttps://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/homemade-tortilla-chips-guacamole-charred-tomato-salsaIt’s 5 o’chop Somewhere! (Really excellent work from Eve)https://www.instagram.com/p/DKZSlCGIdCZ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== And some info about Aphantasia as mentioned by Keith…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AphantasiaAnd synaesthesia…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SynesthesiaIf you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here:https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/And you can get tickets see to Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsHere’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
113 = Marg Ana Names and Mid Career Change
🚂 If you want a career change, how do you decide what to retrain as?👶 What would be a good set of names for twins or triplets?🦷 And there’s some Any Other BusiHere’s some baby naming code from Colin Beveridge: https://github.com/icecolbeveridge/zoe_namesYou can get tickets to An Evening Of Unnecessary Detail on Sun 13th July at The Bell House, Brooklyn, New York here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/an-evening-of-unnecessary-detail-brooklyn-new-york-07-13-2025/event/300062B8E9924115 If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/And you can get tickets see to Matt here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsIf you are in Edinburgh and fancy seeing Matt and Bec battle it out in Ikea Wars on Sunday 10th August, tickets are here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/ikea-warsHere’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths If you are on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky,Twitter,Instagram, and on Discord.
112 = Staring Safely At The Sun and Celebrations Off By One
🌞 How far away from the Sun do we have to travel before we can look at it without damaging our eyes?📆 Is there an off by one error with anniversaries?🍝 And AOB has been slow cooked and packed up in tupperware for safe storageThe starting point for Matt’s theory:https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-maximum-light-intensity-that-a-human-eye-can-withstand-without-being-damaged Astroid Mattparker: https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html#/?sstr=mattparker Distance to Voyager 1: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/voyager/where-are-voyager-1-and-voyager-2-now/ Here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarterhttps://www.kickstarter.com/profile/standupmaths If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here:https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/And you can get tickets to see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsIf you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
111 = Mnemonic Serenading and Mechanism Naming
🎶 Why are songs easier to remember than sentences?⚙️ Can we come up with new names (that meet strict criteria) for leader/follower motors?🌟 And it’s a glitzy, toothy, clackety AOB As discussed in the intro, here’s how to get involved with Matt’s Moon Pi Kickstarter: https://youtu.be/nGtVej1Qx5YAnd here's the link:https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/standupmaths/moon-pi-were-going-to-calculate-on-the-moonAnd head to our socials to see the Corris Railway Traverser! For tickets to Bec Hill’s Pick ‘n’ Mix at the Museum of Comedy, London on 19/06/2025, go here: https://museumofcomedy.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873654374 For some glittery further reading, here’s that NYT article https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/style/glitter-factory.html If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Bec here: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/ And you can get tickets to see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-maths If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
110 = Inventive Dice and Paperwork Advice
🎲What’s the best design for non-traditional dice?📄 What should you call paperwork that doesn’t involve paper?🙋And it’s more a comment than a question in AOBHead to our socials to see Matt’s excellent Angry Man In Local Newspaper photos.If you’d like to peruse and purchase more dice variations, head here:https://mathsgear.co.uk/collections/dice If you have any paperlesspaperwork suggestions, join in here!https://www.reddit.com/r/AProblemSquared/If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsAnd you can get tickets see Bec here:https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
109 = Fourth Dimensions and Love Conventions
4️⃣ What would it look like to be trapped in a 4D world?🥰 What is the meaning of marriage?✨Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get AOBusyHead to our socials to see some fantastic representations of 2D meets 3D meets 4D in fiction, some magical magic, and an alphabetically perfect travel route (for 40 days in 1990).If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can get tickets to see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsAnd you can get tickets see Bec here:https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5884/If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
108 = Proofed Mates and Proved Dates
🍻What’s the best way to politely tell a friend that they’ve had too much to drink?🗞️ Is there a way to prove that something existed before a certain date?❌And AOB brings us some friendly corrections…A useful menu of alcoholic choices…https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/ A hash of a DING!1f2b352be3c09872b3e38083ec6f0d2b22615a99c5a446a03abf24430187c484If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsAnd Bec’s show will be onsale soon!If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared - including the pictures mentioned herein! - you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
107 = Megabytes and Satellites
🧱How many megabytes are actually in a gigabyte?🌕There have been some Moon Developments…😎And AOB will bring a little sunshine into your lifeHere is NASA’s Press Release about navigation on the moon:https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/space-communications-navigation-program/nasa-successfully-acquires-gps-signals-on-moon/And some further reading from Matt: https://www.gpsworld.com/lugre-receiver-captures-gnss-signals-in-lunar-orbit/https://www.unoosa.org/documents/pdf/icg/2024/WG-B_Lunar_PNT_Jun24/LunarPNT_Jun24_01_03.pdfThe Biggest Bike!https://www.instagram.com/reel/DG4Gbrys3NL/?igsh=dTBqeG0wZGVpcXhsPrawn News!https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/cyclone-alfred-live-updates-brisbane-south-east-queensland-braces-for-first-direct-impact-from-storm-in-50-years-northern-nsw-prepares-for-flooding-20250305-p5lh6c.html?post=p58aa2If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsAnd Bec’s show will be onsale soon!Make sure you look after your teeth, kids...If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.
106 = Travel ABC and Art of Karate
🗺️ Is there an alphabetically perfect travel route?🪵 What can be done with karate chopped wood?🤙 And we ride the crest of the Any Other Business waveYou can find the data-basis for the alphabetically perfect travel route here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_and_territories_by_number_of_land_bordersHere are some of Bec’s aesthetically pleasing solutions:https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=JubeLHRYl80https://www.myveryeducatedmother.com/2015/12/turn-broken-karate-boards-into-coat-rack.htmlhttps://www.ellemariehome.com/upcycle-karate-break-boards-into-wood-signs/#google_vignetteAnd you can find Brendan’s magical web app here:https://bren.app/podcasteveryday/If you’re heading to the Edinburgh Fringe, you can see Matt here:https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/getting-triggy-it-matt-parker-does-mathsAnd Bec’s show will be onsale soon!If you’re on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post! If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, show the podcast to a friend or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps. Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.