Origin of Numbers

The Infinite Monkey Cage

BBC

Comedy, Science

4.7 • 9.4K Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2019

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

The origin of numbers and can fish count?

Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by mathematician Dr Hannah Fry, comedian Matt Parker and neuroscientist Prof Brian Butterworth to ask where numbers come from and can fish count? They'll be looking at the origin of numbers and whether counting is a uniquely human trait that actually started before the evolution of language.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:06.2	Hello, hello.
0:07.5	Today's show is about mathematics by a rather incredible coincidence.
0:10.7	Today's Infinite Monkey Cage is the third episode of series 673 in the year 2019.
0:17.7	And what is amazing is that number 2019 is only divisible by three and 673.
0:23.3	So it's very nearly a prime number.
0:25.7	That means it's almost a prime number.
0:27.8	You can't have almost a prime number, though, can you?
0:31.0	And also, isn't the 673rd series?
0:33.6	Wouldn't it be good if it was, though?
0:36.0	Wouldn't that be a coincidence?
0:37.4	Except we've had to make up the coincidence.
0:39.5	It's the 19th series.
0:41.8	Right, anyway, so this is the problem with science-based pedantry,
0:44.4	is it often gets in the way of some of my mystical beliefs, such as numerology.
0:48.2	In fact, the other day, I went to see my Roman numerologist,
0:51.8	and I was worried because she just seemed, oh, like, cross, cross, cross.
0:55.1	She's 30.
0:57.6	So, actually, I thought my hexadecimal numerologist was very cross from the other day,
1:03.0	but it turned out she was a...
1:05.0	Not as good, that one, not as good, is it?
1:07.1	So we're going to give you a lot of choices here.
	...

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