Royal Institution Christmas Lectures

Marcus du Sautoy: The Num8er My5teries

In the 2006 CHRISTMAS LECTURES, Marcus Du Sautoy breaks down popular misconceptions about mathematics by revealing how mathematics has helped build the modern world. Every time we download a song from iTunes, take a flight across the Atlantic or talk on our mobile phones, we are relying on the great inventions of mathematics.

Where to Watch Royal Institution Christmas Lectures • Marcus du Sautoy: The Num8er My5teries

5 Episodes

The Curious Incident of the Never-Ending Numbers
E1
The Curious Incident of the Never-Ending NumbersThe secret life of numbers has fascinated people ever since humans learned to count. Join Marcus as he investigates where our numbers came from and where they are going, how big they can get and whether infinity is really a number. Explore the mysterious primes, the indivisible numbers. Just why did Beckham choose the number 23 shirt? And why do sunflowers have 89 petals? Find out how to try for the $1 million prize for cracking mathematics' biggest mystery.
The Story of the Elusive Shapes
E2
The Story of the Elusive ShapesEver wondered why bubbles are always round even if you blow them with a square frame? Or why footballs are made out of pentagons and hexagons? Take a tour through the mathematical and cultural world of shapes - from pyramids in Egypt to the domes of Italy, and from the shape of good dice to the smell of symmetry. We'll even take a trip into hyperspace and reveal how to see in four dimensions.
The Secret of the Winning Streak
E3
The Secret of the Winning StreakPlace your bets as we use maths to win at games. Logic is an important part of playing games and mathematics can help you plan the best strategy to win. Explore why some games are won or lost on the first move, how lateral thinking unlocks fiendish brainteasers, and why the economy, the law courts and even human relationships are one big game.
The Case of the Uncrackable Code
E4
The Case of the Uncrackable CodeFrom the Caesar Cipher to the Da Vinci Code, people have been fascinated by secret messages. The mathematics of codes lets us to do everything from photographing the surface of Mars to shopping securely on eBay. Find out how prime numbers are now the key to codes which protect credit cards from internet hackers, and how, in the digital age, i-pods and digital TV are just a load of 0s and 1s.
The Quest to Predict the Future
E5
The Quest to Predict the FutureMathematics is the ultimate fortune teller. It can predict if a new plane design will make it off the ground. It can plan the path of a spacecraft so it passes close to every planet on its journey through the solar system. But some of nature's equations are more tricky. Why is weather so hard to forecast? How will world populations evolve? The mathematics of chaos theory helps explain why problems like these are so challenging.