Podcasts

Podcast Archive

Find all of our Podcasts from 2007 onwards

Podcast 8, April 2008: Codes and codebreaking - the Enigma machineThe Enigma machine was once considered unbreakable, and the cracking of the "unbreakable code" by the allies changed the course of World War 2. This week, Plus talks to Nadia Baker from the Enigma Project about the history of codes and code-breaking, why the Enigma machine was considered unbreakable, the mathematics behind codes, and how it was finally cracked. The Enigma Project travels all over the United Kingdom and abroad, visiting over 100 schools and organisations, reaching over 12,000 people of all ages every year.
Podcast 7, March 2008: Biostatistics - From cradle to graveBacon sandwiches, drinking while pregnant, obesity - health risks are a favourite with the media. But behind the simple numbers quoted in the headlines lies a huge and sophisticated body of statistical research. We talk to Professor Sheila Bird of the Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge about her work in public health and its impact on policy, and discuss bias in pharmaceutical studies, as recently highlighted by the controversy around antidepressants.
Podcast 6, January 2008: Interdisciplinary Maths, from life on Mars to cancer development We talk to four researchers from UCL's centre for mathematics and physics in the life sciences and experimental biology (COMPLEX) about the role of maths in such fields as astrobiology, cancer modelling and biology.
Podcast 4, November 2007: Leonard Euler and maths communicationWe talk to Professor Chris Budd about the greatest mathematician of all - Leonard Euler. We also talk about maths communication, maths in the food industry and the best mathematical pickup lines.
Plus Careers Podcast, December 2007: Mathematical Modelling ConsultantWe talk to Nira Chamberlain about his job as a modelling consultant involving aircraft carriers, telecommunication networks, staying slim and speaking French.
Podcast 5, December 2007: Stadium mathsWe talk to Paul Shepherd about the maths of the Arsenal football stadium and to David Youdan about applied maths in the classroom.
Podcast 3, October 2007: Women in mathematicsWe visit the European Women in Mathematics conference and talk to two leading mathematicians, Caroline Series and Cheryl Praeger.
Podcast 2, October 2007: The geometry of virusesReidun Twarock finds symmetry in viruses and tells us about the maths used to understand them.
Podcast 1, August 2007: Breaking the iceWe talk to Shahn Majid about a whole new geometry of space, find out about how mathematics is combatting climate change, as well as all the latest news from the world of maths.
  • Maths in a minute

    Want facts and want them fast? Our Maths in a minute series explores key mathematical concepts in just a few words.