Main content

60. For the love of maths

An ex-child star, a university student and a radio presenter let maths back into their lives. Matthew Syed explores the surprising impacts.

As a child, Kate Ertmann starred in commercials, in soap operas and on Broadway. But acting wasn鈥檛 her first love - mathematics was. She considered it to be 鈥渁 balm" for her brain. And yet societal and teenage pressures made her turn away from maths.

Growing up in Sweden, Sebastian Nillson Qvist loathed maths and found it a real struggle. But he still challenged himself to study it as part of a Political Science and Economics degree. It did not go well.

But still, maths came back into their lives.

In this episode of Sideways, we find out what led them back to mathematics and the impact it had on them. Something host Matthew Syed experienced first hand when a desire to understand inflation and economics led him back to studying for a maths A-Level in his own time and finding it actually enjoyable, rather than a chore as he had at school.

We hear how determination to dominate in the sport of darts can lead to incredible mastery of mental arithmetic from Professor Marcus du Sautoy, who also suggests a novel approach to maths education which he believes could inspire and motivate children. And Field鈥檚 Medal winner Professor Efim Zelmanov introduces us to a brilliant young mathematician who was killed in a duel 150 years ago but left behind a theory which keeps all online banking safe.

With Kate Eartmann of katelovesmath.com, Sebastian Nillson-Qvist, Professor Marcus du Sautoy - Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics, and Professor Efim Zelmanov - Field鈥檚 Medallist and Director of the Shenzhen International Center for Mathematics.

Presented by Matthew Syed
Producer: Marilyn Rust
Series Editor: Katherine Godfrey
Sound Design and Mix: Daniel Kempson
Theme Tune: Ioana Selaru
A Novel production for 91热爆 Radio 4

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Mon 18 Mar 2024 00:15

Broadcasts

  • Wed 13 Mar 2024 16:00
  • Mon 18 Mar 2024 00:15

Sideways - Articles

Sideways - Articles

Features on some of the fascinating topics from Sideways with Matthew Syed.

My last 5p: How one homeless man鈥檚 generosity led to him marrying the love of his life

My last 5p: How one homeless man鈥檚 generosity led to him marrying the love of his life

How one act of generosity can have profound consequences.

Why we all need an alter ego

Why we all need an alter ego

Matthew Syed looks at how adopting an alter ego can help us all to access confidence.

What's the secret of making a smash hit pop song?

What's the secret of making a smash hit pop song?

Exploring the success of Max Martin, the behind-the-scenes genius behind 22 No.1 hits.

Podcast