Math educator and author Eugenia Cheng discusses the goals of math education, the importance of clear thinking skills, misconceptions about math, understanding math at deeper levels, the benefits of learning math, rethinking math education, exploring different starting points, the influence of probability theory and optimization theory, continuing to learn, and breaking down complex skills.

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Jo Brand, mathematicians Prof Hannah Fry and Dr Eugenia Cheng, and xkcd webcomic creator Randall Munroe to discover how thinking like a mathematician could solve some tricky everyday conundrums. From the optimal strategy to finding your true love, to how to fix a wonky table in the pub, thinking like a mathematician can help you in some very unlikely situations. They discover how mathematical thinking can help answer some truly out of this world questions as well: how much soup would it take to fill the solar system? What would happen if you shrank Jupiter to the size of a house? Not problems we'd encounter in everyday life maybe, but all questions sent to Randall Munroe for his "What If?" series of books. At first glance the questions may seem impossible, but, as it turns out, maths and physics can provide an answer to these headscratchers, as the panel discover.Executive Producer: Alexandra Feachem

Can mathematics handle things that are essentially the same without being exactly equal? Category theorist Eugenia Cheng and host Steven Strogatz discuss the power and pleasures of abstraction. The post Is There Math Beyond the Equal Sign? first appeared on Quanta Magazine

Mathematician Dr. Eugenia Cheng discusses the artsy and emotional side of math, covering topics such as Fibonacci sequences, golden ratios, and imaginary numbers. They explore the intersection of math and empathy, link math to ultra-marathons, explain Common Core misunderstandings, embrace the unknown, discuss the power of failure, and explore the moment when understanding calculus clicks.

This March 14, Short Wave is celebrating pi ... and pie! We do that with the help of mathematician Eugenia Cheng, Scientist In Residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and author of the book How to Bake Pi. We start with a recipe for clotted cream and end, deliciously, at how math is so much more expansive than grade school tests.Click through to our episode page for the recipes mentioned in this episode.Plus, Eugenia's been on Short Wave before! To hear more, check out our episode, A Mathematician's Manifesto For Rethinking Gender.Curious about other math magic? Email us at shortwave@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy