Where did the Rubik’s Cube come from? How did it become so popular? And just how many possible combinations are there? Broadcast on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Funbers 20
From the number of children of composer Johann Sebastian Bach, to the number of championships won by Manchester United, its fair to say that 20 gets around. Then there’s the 1920’s, seen as a time of boom and bust with the creation of jazz music followed by the great depression. Not to mention the Mayan counting system which uses base 20…
You can find all of the episodes in the Funbers series with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford here.
Funbers 19
The 1900’s saw inventions that made a BIG change to our lives. Aeroplanes in 1903 changed the way we travel, TVs in 1925 changed home entertainment, and Microwaves in 1946 changed the way we eat. Nineteen also played an important role in the British Civil War and was the title of Adele’s first album…
You can listen to all of the Funbers episodes from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford here.
Funbers 18
Time to celebrate with a glass of bubbly as we’ve reached the number 18! The legal drinking age in most countries around the world, unless you’re the US, Saudi Arabia or Haiti. In fact, in Haiti you only need to be ‘of school age’ to get your hands on the devil’s nectar…
You can listen to all of the Funbers episodes from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford here.
Funbers 15
15 is possibly the most ‘quotable’ of the double digit numbers, with everyone from Andy Warhol to Jack Sparrow using it in one way or another. It’s also the total of every row, column and diagonal in a 3 x 3 magic square containing the numbers 1-9 and the average amount of seconds an employer spends looking at an applicants CV… It’s time for some fun with numbers!
You can listen to all of the Funbers episodes from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford here.
Funbers Pi
Funbers continues with the number Pi – undoubtedly a mathematician’s favourite food and also a universal constant that is built into the very fabric of the universe… If that sounds like a bold claim be sure to listen below to find out why…
You can listen to all of the Funbers episodes from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford here.
Funbers 1
The most popular number in the world: from the atomic number of hydrogen to one night stands, one-liners and one-hit wonders… part of my new series with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford.
Funbers 0
The first in a new series on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and BBC Radio Oxford looking at all of the fun facts about numbers that you never realised you’ve secretly always wanted to know…
Conservation in Botanic Gardens
When we hear the words ‘extinction’ and ‘endangered species’ we often think of animals, but in fact plants are just as threatened. A new study from the University of Cambridge has crunched the numbers and found that 41% of the world’s plants are preserved in botanic gardens with over 300 threatened species found in Cambridge alone. Curator Sam Brockington gave me a guided tour for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire…
