/podcasts/wbu49.mp3

In this month’s episode of Wrong, But Useful, Colin and Dave are joined by Special Guest Co-Host @pecnut, who is Adam Townsend in real life.

  • Adam studies the behaviour of sperm in mucus, and chocolate fountains ((Not sperm in chocolate fountains, just chocolate fountains in general.)) - when he’s not editing @chalkdustmag - Issue 6 of which is available now from chalkdustmagazine.com, or from a @mathsjam near you - the magazine for the mathematically curious.
  • Number of the podcast is Maths Inspiration Prime Pencil. @colinthemathmo explains why here. More on truncatable primes here.
  • Colin has a new book available, wherever good books are sold - which Dave has actually read some of and quite likes.
  • @colinthemathmo has a @numberphile video on juggling. We reference an article about @standupmaths
  • An orchestra of 120 players…, written by @LongmoorClaire (Claire Longmoor in real life). We mention a Radiolab episode and UCL’s Maths Choir
  • Adam is an expert on chocolate fountains and needs blood.
  • RIP Vladimir Voevodsky and his work (via @johncarlosbaez) and Monty Hall, mentioned in The Maths Behind, available wherever etc.
  • Timothy Gowers’ write-up on the infinites thing we were talking about (via @johncarlosbaez)
  • We almost caused @hnodrog to crash
  • October is Black Mathematician Month.
  • October also contained Ada Lovelace Day, of which more in future episodes.
  • Next episode is our 50th and goes live around my 40th birthday: we are keen to have audio sent in to celebrate this, and to talk to people at Big MathsJam next month.
  • A history of maths typography.
  • Last Puzzle: A number has exactly three prime factors, and can be written as $129 \times 141 \times 147 + 320$. What is the sum of the three prime factors? It’s 417 ($131\times 137 \times 149$). Gold star to @chrishazell72.
  • Puzzle, via @colinfoster77 - Prove the divisibility by 7 test (split off the last digit, double it and subtract it from what’s left.)