On Demand
Radiolab
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flickr/stewfNumbers
Radiolab dedicates this hour to an exploration of numbers. Those pesky little things on the chalkboard. Where do they come from and what do they really do for us? We bring you stories on how they confuse us, connect us, and reveal secrets about us.
Innate Numbers?
In "25 Minutes to Go," Johnny Cash counts down the minutes to his hanging. This precipitates an argument between Robert and Jad about whether you could live without numbers. Jad introduces his newborn son, Amil, and insists that he has no concept of numbers whatsoever. Like father, like son? Producer Lulu Miller talks to Stanislas Dehaene, whose work in neuroimaging suggests that Amil probably does have a number sense. You and I might not even know what logarithmic counting is, but apparently we used it as babies. Susan Carey explains why counting pennies is no small feat. Using an experiment designed by Karen Wynn, Susan breaks down the trick that separates us from the animal world: the counting song. Producer Amanda Aronczyk's daughter Mina demonstrates how complicated this whole penny business really is.
From Benford to Erdös
Mark Nigrini shares the story of physicist Frank Benford, a man whose curiosity about a book inspired a bizarre discovery. Benford's Law, as it is now known, reveals a cosmic preference for certain numbers. Then Darrell D. Dorrell, a forensic accountant, describes how he uses Benford's Law to bust crooks.
Paul Hoffman tells us the story of a boy trapped in a world of numbers, who grew into one of math's greatest proselytizers, Paul Erdös. Joel Spencer and Jerry Grossman help bring to life the man behind the numbers. From producer Ben Calhoun.
Odds are that there's only one Frank Benford
The Erdös Number Project
Paul Erdös waxes philosophical
photo flickr/evildilara
Calculove
Producer Soren Wheeler brings us a story about a friendship between Steve Strogatz and his high school math teacher, Don Joffray. Steve explains how numbers can connect you and where they fall short.
A video trailer for Steve Strogatz's book "The Calculus of Friendship"
Steve Strogatz's book "The Calculus of Friendship"
Photo: Flickr/wonderlane
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