The Math Dude Quick and Dirty Tips to Make Math Easier

The 2016 U.S. presidential election is over. And if you'd been following the polls, the results might have been surprising. What went wrong with those polls? It has to do with statistical and systematic uncertainties. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2gnNRpX

The solar system is big, the distances between stars bigger, and the distance to the center of the galaxy in which we live is even bigger than that. But all of that is tiny compared to the distance to the edge of the known universe! Just how big is that? The Math Dude breaks it all down. Visit the website to read the full transcript: http://bit.ly/UBERxy

Do you have a good feel for the size of the Earth? If you’re like most people, you know that it’s big but you don’t have a sense for exactly how big. Today we’re going to change that! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2eVwubz

How much is a gram? An ounce? Or a ton? If you don't have an intuitive feel for exactly how much mass these quantities represent, keep on listening! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2dWyR0G

What causes the Moon to change phases throughout the month? Why is it sometimes visible only during the day and other times only at night? What’s the relationship between these times and the Moon’s phases? The answer in all cases is geometry. Keep on listening to find out how it works! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2ebEjeY

What do a triangle, a rectangle, and a pentagon all have in common? They’re all polygons. What makes a polygon a polygon? And why do they matter? Keep on listening to find out! Visit the website: http://bit.ly/1ANCZEg

Richard Wiseman, author of 101 Bets You Will Always Win, joins Math Dude, to talk about how to use probability and mathematics to win bets. Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2dkwBio

How good are your eyes at seeing really tiny things that are really far away? How much better is the Hubble Space Telescope at doing the same thing? What do these two questions have to do with the mathematical concept of angular size? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2d9FpGH

Can you think of a way to measure the size of the Earth? Or the distance to the Sun? Or the nearest star? Want to know how ancient Greek mathematicians did exactly this over 2,000 years ago? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2duvgGw

What do uniform numbers tell you about NFL players? How can you estimate how fast a wide-receiver is running? Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/1Vc3ZZs

Do you know what a light year really measures? Do you know why so many people find it confusing? And why they shouldn’t? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2cRCALY

What are the odds of successfully flying through an astroid field like the one in the movie The Empire Strikes Back? Are they really 3,720 to 1 as suggested by C-3PO? Or are they much worse…or perhaps better? Keep on listening to find out. And May the 4th be with you! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2c4TRBc

Did you notice all the ties in the swimming events of this year's Olympics? Did you wonder why they didn't (or maybe couldn't) simply use more precise timing to break the ties? Not surprisingly, the answer is math. Keep on listening to find out why! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2bpLSA4

Have you heard of FOIL? Not the aluminum kind, but the one that can help your multiply faster? Keep on listening to The Math Dude to learn more! Read the transcript: http://bit.ly/1K6g33D

How fast do Olympic swimmers swim and Olympic sprinters sprint? How do these speeds compare to the speed at which you could race walk to the games? Or fly there in an airplane? Keep on listening to find out! Read the full transcript here: http://bit.ly/2aVf5MZ