Who created math problems?

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Vermont Public

Nature, Language, Kids & Family, Science

4.4 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Who created math problems? Why does one plus one equal 2 and not 11? Why do numbers go on forever? Why are numbers for counting? Why do you need math?

If you love math, this is the episode for you. And if you hate math…this is the episode for you! We’re answering all kinds of questions and demystifying the science and beauty of the discipline of mathematics with Dr. Melania Alvarez, outreach coordinator for the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia in Canada. She’s also education coordinator for the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences. And she loves all your mathematical questions!

Stay tuned for a math puzzle you can solve during the episode!

Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

Math Question: There's a farmer who sells live chickens. He goes to three markets to sell them.

At the first market, he sells half of his chickens, plus half a chicken.

Then he goes to the second market, where he sells half of his remaining chickens, plus half a chicken.

At the third market, he sells half of all his remaining chickens, plus half a chicken. And he is left with no chickens.

How many chickens did he have at the start?

(HINT: No chickens were harmed at any of the markets, and they were all fully alive when they were sold.)

(Answer: 7 chickens)

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, trusty narrator here telling you about the funniest podcast you'll ever hear.
0:05.0	It's called Who's Smarted?
0:06.6	And yes, I know what that sounds like.
0:08.2	When you listen to Who Smarted, not only will you laugh, you'll also learn as we use jokes.
0:13.7	Crazy characters, funny sound effects, and interactive games to teach you fun facts, science, and history about everything from your pet cat to the cereal you had for breakfast.
0:24.4	Trust me, the trusty narrator, and check out Who's Smarted, the most fun you'll ever have, getting smarter. This is But Why, a podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont Public.
0:54.0	I'm Jane Linton. On this show, we take questions from curious kids just like you, and we find answers.
1:01.2	I had a math teacher for a parent, so for as long as I can remember, math has been a part of my life. My stepdad made me and my brother do math games on long car rides,
1:12.8	and he still gives us math riddles whenever we go visit him now, even though we're adults.
1:17.6	He wishes us a happy pie day every March 14th and suggested we use the Fibonacci sequence for
1:24.2	our essential passcode numbers. Don't know what the Fibonacci sequence is. You will
1:29.4	by the end of this episode. Math and numbers are fascinating. But I also know it can sometimes get
1:35.8	difficult to wrap your head around big math concepts in school or on long car rides with a
1:41.8	math-loving adult. So today we're going to demystify math.
1:46.9	You've sent us a lot of mathematical questions, and our guest today loves all of them.
1:52.7	Dr. Melania Alvarez is the outreach coordinator for the Department of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia in Canada,
1:59.7	and she's the education coordinator for the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.
2:05.6	So my job is to go all around showing people how wonderful and interesting and exciting mathematics.
2:12.6	It really is.
2:14.6	If you invite me to your school, I go to your school and bring some interesting games, some puzzles and things like that to show you, you know, how much fun you can have doing mathematics.
2:25.1	Can you give me a puzzle?
2:27.8	Oh, there are many.
	...

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