1.4K views Feb 2010
A mock educational program presents absurd maths lessons, impossible word problems, and odd school supplies before revealing the answers to each puzzle.
0:30 Look around you. 0:34 Look around you. 0:40 Just look around you. 0:44 Have you worked out what we're looking for? 0:48 Correct. The answer is 0:52 maths. 0:57 This program, maths, is discussed in chapter 3.1415926 of your textbook, which accompanies this series. 1:09 Please ensure you have your copy book at hand, as you'll be asked to take down notes from the screen at various points throughout the program. 1:18 What's the largest number you can think of? 1:23 Um, 100,000? 1:26 999,000. 1:29 A million. 1:30 In actual fact, it's neither of these. The largest number is about 45 billion, although mathematicians suspect that there may be even larger numbers. 1:43 With so many different numbers to deal with, it can get a bit confusing, unless you use Maths. 1:52 Maths stands for Mathematical Antitallarsic Halftatem Septomin. 2:00 Think of it as the language of numbers, with 1 equaling A, 2 equaling the, 3 equaling hello, and so on. 2:10 We use maths at almost every point of the day, whether we're working out how to thread our shoelaces, 2:17 calculating the optimal moment at which to embark upon a conversation, 2:23 or, if you can fly, planning your trajectory for the journey to work. 2:34 But s- But some situations require a much more thorough application of maths. 2:39 Let's look at some examples. Have your pen and paper ready. 2:46 Problem 1. 2:49 Jean is shorter than Brutus, but taller than Imhotep. Imhotep is taller than Jean, but shorter than Lord Scotland. 2:58 Lord Scotland is twice the height of Jean and Brutus combined, but only a tenth of the height of Millsy. 3:06 Millsy is at a constant height of X minus Y. If Jean stands exactly one nautical mile away from Lord Scotland, how tall is Imhotep? 3:16 We'll reveal the answers to the problems at the end of the program. 3:21 Take a look at this equation. It's known as O'Connell's theorem. 3:28 If we plot its graph, we arrive at this unusual shape. A uniformly curved line that somehow joins up with itself, that science has yet to find a name for. 3:41 Can you think of a name for it? 3:44 If you can, the Royal Mathematics Society would like to hear from you, because they hold a competition each year to find a name for this figure. 3:54 The final takes place in Nottingham on April the 4th of September, and you could win your school this computerized toast system. 4:02 So, good luck. 4:07 Problem 2. 4:10 8 ladies go into 8 shops at 8 o'clock in the morning. 4:15 Each lady wants to buy 8 spiders. For each spider, 8 spider shoes must also be bought. 4:25 But they only have 8 pounds between them. With each spider costing 8 pence and each spider shoe costing an eighth pence each, will the ladies have enough change for the bus home? 4:39 A journey costing 8 pence per stop and made up of 8 stops. 4:45 Write down your answer, and we'll see how well you did later on. 4:52 A pencil case. To the modern math student, it's his toolbox containing all the instruments necessary to carry out his calculations. 5:02 Let's take a look inside. Have your copy books ready. A pencil case wouldn't be a pencil case without these. 5:11 Pencils. 5:16 Here's a protractor. 5:19 A ruler. 5:26 A pair of compasses. 5:33 Razor blades. 5:38 A calculator. 5:43 And this. 5:45 Gary gum. It's like a nougat, which, when chewed, stimulates the brain and improves mental agility. 5:55 Gary gum does have some side effects, for instance, diarrhea, so you may need to take some of this. 6:04 Anti-Gary gum. Write that down in your copy book now. 6:13 Problem 3. For this problem, you'll need to set your calculator to maths. 6:22 It's the future, and Queen Elizabeth III and Queen Elizabeth IV are going to a party held by Queen Elizabeth V. 6:29 They're keen to make the right impression, so it's important that they choose their outfits carefully. 6:35 Queen Elizabeth III has 40 dresses to choose from, whereas Queen Elizabeth IV has 4,000. 6:43 Queen Elizabeth V has just one dress, but it has the ability to transform itself into the shape of any dress. 6:55 The night before the party, Queen Elizabeth IV's handmaiden steals the patterns to Queen Elizabeth III's dresses, and working through till dawn, makes 40 exact replicas. 7:06 Can you calculate the probability that all three queens will be wearing the same dress at the party? 7:12 And how many times can Queen Elizabeth the 5th's dress change before it overheats? 7:23 That's the last of your problems, and you now have a few more seconds to finalize all your calculations while the following film plays. 7:42 Stop fighting now. 7:45 Stop writing now. Here are the answers to all your problems. 7:50 Problem 1, Imhotep is invisible. 7:56 Problem 2, the ladies were 8 pence short. 8:01 And problem 3, the party was cancelled. 8:07 Now hand in your copy books to your teacher or head of class. 8:14 In the next program, we will look at cosmetics. 
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