Wrong, But Useful: Episode 51, featuring @suedepom

| Dec 12, 2017 min read

Sue de Pomerai joins Colin and Dave for this month’s episode of Wrong, But Useful.

We discuss:

  • Her work for FMSP and MEI and, previously as a teacher

  • Sue’s alter ego, Ada Lovelace, and getting more young women into maths

  • Colin writes books: he mentions Cracking Mathematics and some good reviews of The Maths Behind, both available wherever good books are sold.

  • Statistics in the new A-Level

  • Number of the podcast: 10,213,223, a self-describing number

  • Colin is reading Genius at Play by Siobhan Roberts and has a review copy of Geometry Snacks by @solvemymaths and @panlepan.

  • Dave has been in a shoe-shop buying shoes and has Questions. Colin thinks shoe sizes are ridiculous, then talks about 48cm shoes as if they would be reasonable.

  • We congratulate @vihartvihart and @standupmaths for winning the JPBM Communication Award. Hooray!

  • Nominations are open for the Zeeman Medal. On no account should you nominate @samuel_hansen.

  • Sue is addicted to @mscroggs’s advent calendar. So is Colin.

  • Articles for @chalkdustmag’s next issue are due by Januray 3rd 2018.

  • Dave needs help - specifically with designing a pi-rate t-shirt.

  • We mention Grace Hopper, who is mentioned in Cracking Mathematics, available wherever etc.

  • Dave finds more fake maths on Facebook: apparently 90% of maths graduates can’t solve $y+2=y$.

  • Dave’s son Reuben is learning proof in Year 4!

  • Dave is doing algebraic fractions right, but wonders how to motivate expansion and factorising.

  • Why do we do maths in school?

  • Puzzles: Come on loyal listeners, we’ve had no solutions to the previous two puzzles. Go back and do your homework.

  • Alternatively, you could respond to this: