Maths

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Patterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things.

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Why a dropped stick can find π: Buffon's needle Drop a stick on a floor of planks and count how often it lands across a seam. The count secretly contains π: for a needle as long as the plank width, the… Maths4 min read Why 23 people are enough for a shared birthday: counting pairs, not people Put 23 people in a room and the chance that two share a birthday is already 51%. It feels far too low a number, because we picture one person matching our… Maths3 min read Why switching doors wins twice as often: the Monty Hall problem Three doors, one car. You pick one, the host opens a goat door, and offers a swap. Most people say it's 50/50. It isn't: switching wins twice as often as… Maths4 min read How dropping needles on a floor reveals the number π: Buffon's needle Toss a match onto a plank floor and ask: does it touch a crack? Do it thousands of times and the fraction that do will quietly spell out π, though no circle is… Maths3 min read