SBS 1 7.30pm Tuesday 8th Feb.
Quote:
We have to admit, we don't have the best head for numbers.
Nor, as it turns out, does comedian Alan Davies.
In a bid to explain the power and wonder of maths to a non-mathematician, Professor Marcus du Sautoy is taking the much-loved comedian on a mathematical road trip.
Mathematics is the one of the most powerful disciplines in history. It has not only helped to build the modern world, but it also continuously offers an insight into how the universe works. Why then, do so many people hate it?
Marcus is one of the UK's leading scientists. As a revered mathematician, he lectures at Oxford University and has written countless mathematical papers.
Alan, meanwhile, scraped a C grade in his Maths O Level.
Marcus faces a daunting challenge. He has two weeks to make Alan fall in love with the subject and help him see the world like a mathematician.
Their journey begins at Alan's old school, where Alan shows Marcus what little he can remember of his mathematical education. From there, Alan is introduced to some key concepts of maths. Despite making good progress, he's convinced he doesn't have a brain for numbers, so Marcus and Alan have their brains scanned to see whether there is any difference in their maths hardware.
Together, Marcus and Alan explore some of the fundamental principles of maths and try to understand the greatest maths problems of the 21st century.
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