Tom’s article on the million-dollar P versus NP problem – written for the ‘Lost in Space-Time’ series – can be found here.

Tom will be speaking at New Scientist Live 2024 on Sunday 13th October at 2:45pm on the Maths of Pokémon. Book your tickets here.

Pokémaths: the maths behind the video game

How many Pikachus does it take to power a lightbulb? How much does a Charizard eat? Can Wailord actually live in the ocean? And why does the world of Pokémon seem to ignore the basic laws of physics?

Join mathematician Tom Crawford as he explores the maths of one of the world’s favourite video games and provides a mathematician’s top tips for beating the catch rate formula.