
The Numberphile Podcast
Interviews with people who love numbers and mathematics. Hosted by Brady Haran, maker of the Numberphile series on YouTube.
Latest episodes

19 snips
Dec 14, 2024 • 39min
Counting Crayons - with Po-Ling Loh
Join Po-Ling Loh, an American theoretical statistician at the University of Cambridge, as she shares her fascinating journey from childhood in Wisconsin to mastering higher dimensional statistics and differential privacy. She delves into the playful influence of her math-loving family and the challenges faced during her PhD at Berkeley. Loh provides insights on the cultural differences in academia between the US and UK while emphasizing the importance of mentorship in statistics. Plus, she shares humorous tales from her transition to life in the UK.

Oct 24, 2024 • 40min
BREAKING NEWS: The Largest Known Prime Number
There’s a new largest known prime number and we speak to all the key players, including the discoverer Luke Durant. Also featured in the podcast are George Woltman from GIMPS, James Grime, and Matt Parker.Extended interviews (as videos) can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWIWS5Jd3k5QHdc0kxwfnZMgMatt Parker’s epic video on Stand-up Maths is here: https://youtu.be/zsyGRDrDfbINumberphile’s main video on the discovery is here: https://youtu.be/Yp4ilFOtoegThe GIMPS press release is here: https://www.mersenne.org/primes/?press=M136279841GIMPS: https://www.mersenne.orgMore Numberphile videos on Mersenne Primes from over the year: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt5AfwLFPxWKsTwVXpLscZdfiiqAkkGCANumberphile is supported by Jane Street - https://www.numberphile.com/jane-streetYou can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphileHere are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Jul 30, 2024 • 54min
The Secret Math Journal - with Ellen Eischen
Ellen Eischen is a professor of mathematics at the University of Oregon. Here she discusses creativity, collaboration - and a “secret” journal she has kept since childhood.Ellen Eischen website (includes some links to the teaching we discussed): http://www.elleneischen.com
Women in Numbers: https://awm-math.org/research-networks/win/Creativity Counts museum exhibit: https://jsma.uoregon.edu/CreativityCountsEllen on Numberphile discussing Faulhaber's Fabulous Formula (and Bernoulli Numbers): https://youtu.be/83NFR7JDlww
Numberphile is supported by Jane Street - https://www.numberphile.com/jane-streetWe also work with the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute - https://www.slmath.org You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphileHere are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Jul 2, 2024 • 45min
Winnie the Math Whiz - with Danica McKellar
Catch a video version of this episode at: https://youtu.be/xMAiBBxQGZIDanica McKellar is best-known for portraying girl-next-door Winnie Cooper in The Wonder Years - but she has also proven a math theorem (which bears her name) and writes books to inspire future mathematicians.Check out her math website and books at: https://mckellarmath.comAnd Danica’s general website at: https://danicamckellar.comDanica on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danicamckellar/Danica’s books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3VQdznyDanica’s co-authored paper which led to the Chayes–McKellar–Winn theorem: https://scienceblogs.de/geograffitico/wp-content/blogs.dir/70/files/2012/07/i-5bb4f4203312f2a650f3294cf4ddac13-percolation.pdfBrady’s dog Winnie: https://www.instagram.com/the_wonderful_winnie/The Wonder Years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonder_YearsJane Street opportunities (episode sponsor): https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/overview/Jane Street’s Insight program as mentioned on the show: https://www.janestreet.com/join-jane-street/programs-and-events/insight/Numberphile is also supported by the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute: https://www.slmath.orgYou can support Numberphile on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/numberphileHere are our Patrons: https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

20 snips
Jun 6, 2024 • 38min
The Hyper-Curious Billionaire - Jim Simons (1938-2024)
The podcast features the life and achievements of Jim Simons, a billionaire mathematician. Topics include his recruitment tactics for Math for America, his influence in fostering talent, his involvement in philanthropy, personal tragedies, and decision-making in charitable activities. The podcast also explores his impact on the narrator's journey, mentorship, and support for basic research.

8 snips
Jan 16, 2024 • 54min
A Very Bad Estimator - with Donald Knuth
Renowned computer scientist Donald Knuth discusses his mischievous high school behavior and his introduction to computers. He shares his fascination with math and data analysis, including analyzing Bible texts. Knuth explores his attitude towards mistakes and his experimentation with chat GPT.

Oct 12, 2023 • 51min
The Math of Movies - with Walt Hickey
Data journalist Walt Hickey discusses the influence of Jurassic Park on his career, exploring the portrayal of mathematicians in media. He shares his experiences in mathematics and journalism, including the challenges of collecting and analyzing cultural data. The chapter also delves into the process of mining information from movies and how countries expand soft power through pop culture. The podcast ends with a discussion about favorite movies and a recommendation for 'Millenium Actress'.

Aug 23, 2023 • 55min
Finding Your Place - with Federico Ardila
Federico Ardila is a combinatorialist at San Francisco State University.He’s Colombian and in this episode he talks candidly about the struggles and prejudice encountered by people from different backgrounds as they try to make their mark in academia.And just so you know there’s happy ending in sight - this episode of the podcast will conclude with a stirring musical finale.Federico’s site - https://fardila.comSFSU page - https://math.sfsu.edu/faculty/ardilaSLMath supports Numberphile - https://www.slmath.orgYou can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphileHere are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Aug 2, 2023 • 28min
Yes, I accept the Fields Medal - with James Maynard
Oxford mathematician James Maynard explains why he feared accidentally refusing the most famous prize in mathematics.Watch this full interview on YouTube - https://youtu.be/yz-5BY_TTNIFull 2022 Fields Medal Winners - https://www.mathunion.org/imu-awards/fields-medal/fields-medals-2022See our Fields Medal Playlist - https://bit.ly/Fields_PlaylistMore James Maynard videos - https://bit.ly/JamesMaynardJames Maynard - https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/people/professor-james-maynard/You can support Numberphile on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/numberphileHere are our Patrons - https://www.numberphile.com/patrons

Feb 21, 2023 • 1h 4min
An A-Class Reject - with Ed Copeland
He dreamed of being a great cricketer - but his love for equations led Ed Copeland to a career in theoretical physics.Check out opportunities with episode sponsor Jane StreetEd Copeland at the University of NottinghamNumberphile videos with EdSome physics videos with EdA trilogy of longer videos with EdYou can support Numberphile on PatreonWith thanks to SLMath
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