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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018 = Make Your Vote Count & New Species Amount

April 30, 2021 48:11 46.77 MB Downloads: 0

This month, Matt and Bec explore voting systems in elections. Bec wonders what effect it might have to vote for a novelty candidate. And we speak to a special guest who might just know a thing or two about this. Plus a whole heap of quick-fire problem solving! Here's the video Matt mentioned that simulates alternate voting systems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhO6jfHPFQU&ab_channel=Primer  

017 = All The Hills, Fauna Fills and Sauna Chills

March 31, 2021 46:23 45.04 MB Downloads: 0

How many Bec Hills could fit in Bexhill? What species would make the longest queue if you put every individual in a single line? Plus an update on Bec's coat conundrum! If you've got a problem or a solution, hit us up on our website www.aproblemsquared.com, or on social media. Thanks to www.higherdose.com for providing the sauna blanket for the fluffy jacket problem. To find out more about Mileva Marić and the campaign to have her contributions recognised, visit www.inspiring-girls.com/ig-blog/marijamilevablog    

016 = Biscuit Tips and Longer Trips

February 28, 2021 50:25 47.78 MB Downloads: 0

In this month's episode, Matt investigates what is the optimal way to share biscuits amongst a group, and Bec explores how you can elongate your holiday time using all manner of creative methods. Plus updates on short shorts and how much Coronavirus is there in the world. Send your problems at www.aproblemsquared.com And here's the study Matt referenced about perceptions of Time: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0001295  

015 = Getting Plucky and Feeling Lucky

January 31, 2021 54:36 79.13 MB Downloads: 0

This month Matt and Bec are problem-solving thusly: Can you cast shadow puppets on the Moon? Why do champion cyclists wear such short shorts? Is there such a thing as a lucky person? Here's a useful graphic of how the Moon orbits Earth https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/from-a-million-miles-away-nasa-camera-shows-moon-crossing-face-of-earth And this is the article referenced by Bec in the show about body hair: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/02/the-casualties-of-womens-war-on-body-hair/514983/ Send your problems to our new improved website! www.aproblemsquared.com  

014 = Final Cheese Drama and Quick-Fire-O-Rama

December 31, 2020 52:14 100.79 MB Downloads: 0

It's the end of year special! We have an update on the Cheese Cover Up, the results of the listener survey, and a selection of quick-fire new problems to round off 2020. Plus, what on Earth has Matt been doing to his Christmas tree? Head to @aproblemsquared on Twitter and Instagram to see images of listeners' cheese packaging recommendations, Matt's pie charts, and Bec's framed Christmas card.  

013 = Heavy Lifting and Clever Gifting

November 30, 2020 55:58 67.68 MB Downloads: 0

What's the most cunning way to move furniture on your own? Thoughtful ideas for Christmas presents Answers to the riddle of Pudding's Wheel, including a brilliant piece of maths by a listener. Recipe for microwave fudge: 3 cups of milk or dark chocolate bits (roughly 500g) 1 tin condensed milk 1/4 cup of butter Step 1. Microwave all ingredients for 3-5mins, stopping to stir occasionally. Step 2. Grease or line a deep tray/dish with baking paper and pour in the mix. Step 3. Refrigerate. Step 4. Once firm, cut into squares. (Note from Bec: in Step 2, I like to dust the baking paper with cacao powder and then dust the squares again once cut in Step 4. It helps stop them from immediately melting back into each other. You can also add nuts and dried fruit or spices if you want to get experimental. Make sure you store this in the fridge whenever possible, as it has a low melting point!) Pudding's instagram: instagram.com/hamsterpud

012 = Series of Teeth and Queries of Cheese

October 31, 2020 59:57 72.46 MB Downloads: 0

To celebrate 12 episodes we're collecting some data! If you can, fill in the listener survey: http://thatsurvey.ilikeit.aproblemsquared.com Does this cheese look like it has 41% less packaging? https://www.dropbox.com/s/kuj16lmkgrx8w7i/41cheese.jpeg?dl=0 Here's the wikipedia page we used to make sense of shark teeth: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_tooth#/media/File:How_to_count_shark_teeth.png The Weaire-Phelan structure: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaire%E2%80%93Phelan_structure What a truncated octahedron looks like: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truncated_octahedron And a spinning one!  https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Truncatedoctahedron.gif MATT'S CALCULATIONS A 140mm × 60mm × 46mm block of cheese has a volume of 386.4 cm^3 and a surface area of 352 cm^2. To give a 41% reduction the original needs to have the same volume of cheese but an area of 596.6 cm^2. Matt assumed there are 4,200,000 current infections and each person has 400,000 virus particles per mL across 2L of fluid. If the SARS-CoV-2 particle has a diameter of 150nm and stacks like spheres with 74% efficiency: those 3,360,000,000,000,000 current virus particles would fill only 8mL, aka "about a teaspoon".

011 = Massive Halls and Ambassadors' Balls

September 30, 2020 48:10 58.3 MB Downloads: 0

How long is a year of A Problem Squared podcasts? What's the qualification for a room being a room? Is the famous Ferrero Rocher advert mathematically possible? You can visit the Crafts Council campaign here: https://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/support-us/appeals-and-projects/lets-craft-packs-children Delve into luxury with the original Ferrero Rocher ad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P-nZZkQqTc The best-known packings of equal circles in a circle http://hydra.nat.uni-magdeburg.de/packing/cci/d1.html Correction: Bec's episode of Jonathan Ross's Comedy Club aired on 19th September (Series 1 Episode 2)

010 = Heat Fighting and Typewriting

August 31, 2020 44:19 53.69 MB Downloads: 0

- How can you keep cool when there's no air conditioning? - What's the best thing to do with a spare room? (If you're lucky enough to have one, that is.) - How much would the Big Macadamia Nut be worth if it was an actual nut? - Why are typewriters mysterious? Matt's long-awaited topography video, inspired by a problem in the show, is here at last! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtKhbbcc1Rc You can see the typewriter patent here: https://patents.google.com/patent/US207559A/en And for Bec's 5KTS t-shirt, head here: www.bechillcomedian.com/5kts/square

009 = Big Statues and Big Stack Chews

July 31, 2020 49:09 59.49 MB Downloads: 0

- Could pennies make a girlfriend for the Statue of Liberty? - What's the optimum burger size for your mouth? - Where is Matt's topography video? Here's Bec's burger video analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAc2ukZVtdk And for Bec's 5KTS t-shirt, head here: www.bechillcomedian.com/5kts/square

008 = Height Matters and Dish Splatters

June 30, 2020 52:18 63.27 MB Downloads: 0

- Why are kitchen counters one-size-fits-all? - Are the recorded surface areas of countries 3D? - Why don't plastic things dry in the dishwasher? Special thanks to: Gareth and Kiruna (@garethandkiruna on TikTok and PIrate & Parrot TV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHX3-ZTmi60fYtcnO4VOPSQ) Ed Warner from Motionspot (https://www.motionspot.co.uk/, www.fineandable.co.uk and @themotionspot on social media) Check out www.podcastsincolor.com for an exhaustive and excellent list of podcast recommendations. And for Bec's 5KTS t-shirt, head here: www.bechillcomedian.com/5kts/square

007 = Big Thing Fans and Retirement Plans

May 31, 2020 45:11 54.73 MB Downloads: 0

- What is the biggest big thing? - Is the lottery a good retirement plan? - Update on the £5,000 t-shirt. - The taster data has popped. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/aproblemsquared Review us on apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-problem-squared/id1490290676 Twitter: https://twitter.com/aproblemsquared Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aproblemsquared/ This is the bear with very long legs. Very long. Legs. https://www.buzzfeed.com/bradesposito/people-are-losing-it-over-this-giant-teddy-bear-that-just Tallest Filing Cabinet on Earth https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/world-s-tallest-filing-cabinet The difference between Financial Advice and Financial Guidance. https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/understanding-advice-guidance-investments Get your own free financial guidance from here: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/getting-financial-advice/ Bec's £5000 T-SHIRT http://www.bechillcomedian.com/shop Here's Mr Squiggle, he's lots of fun for everyone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdmsE-Bff7k Check out our instagram for photos. https://www.instagram.com/aproblemsquared/

006 = Squaring Shirts and Testing Toasters

April 30, 2020 36:48 44.67 MB Downloads: 0

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/aproblemsquared Submit your data for our toaster investigation. http://bit.ly/APS_toasterdata Mike Hill wrote up his calculations as an official report. https://www.dropbox.com/s/m0njel6x5xcg0z5/T-Shirt%20Quest.docx?dl=0 Energy Scavengers: Static Electricity Could Power the World https://www.discovermagazine.com/technology/energy-scavengers-static-electricity-could-power-the-world International Electrotechnical Commission standards 60065 https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/494 Limmy's channel. https://www.youtube.com/user/LimmyDotComBlog/ Limmys Show: Whats heavier a kilogram of steel or a kilogram of feathers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fC2oke5MFg

005 = Airplane Stacks and Backpack Hacks

April 01, 2020 46:12 55.94 MB Downloads: 0

- What went wrong with the audio of episode 003? - The best place to put a backpack on a crowded train. - How many Boeing 737s will fit? - Making a perfect guest bedroom. - Bonus: Bec has feedback on Matt's rice calculation Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/aproblemsquared Review us on apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-problem-squared/id1490290676 Twiiter: https://twitter.com/aproblemsquared Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aproblemsquared/ Listen to the BROKEN version of episode 003 and see how you hear Bec! https://www.dropbox.com/s/kvdbytyu1jazr15/A%20Problem%20Squared%20Episode%20003%20BROKEN.mp3?dl=0 Wikipedia page on surround sound Matrix Decoding. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_decoder Watch Bec's flip-chart of "Non Je Ne Regrette Rien" by Edith Piaf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTH9MKiYvM0 This is the audio file of Non Je Ne Regrette Rien that Bec sometimes has problems with. https://www.dropbox.com/s/zfh910uve85vdvk/Edith%20Piaf%20-%20Non%2C%20Je%20ne%20regrette%20rien.mp3?dl=0 There are only 10,575 Boeing 737s which have been made and delivered. http://active.boeing.com/commercial/orders/displaystandardreport.cfm?cboCurrentModel=737&optReportType=AllModels&cboAllModel=737&ViewReportF=View+Report Check out our instagram for photos of the 'Futuristic Garden' Bec gave Matt for their spare room. https://www.instagram.com/aproblemsquared/

004 = Quarantine Kits and Contagion Calculus

March 24, 2020 40:22 48.95 MB Downloads: 0

- Why is this episode so late? - What to take when in hospital quarantine? - Tips for working at home from two pros. - Does the exponential maths of viral memes check out? Get in touch if you'd like to share your working-from-home space. We'd love to see it! https://www.instagram.com/aproblemsquared/ https://twitter.com/AProblemSquared Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/aproblemsquared