Maths

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Patterns, chance and the numbers hiding in everyday things.

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Why no walk can cross all seven bridges of Königsberg once: Euler's odd-places rule Seven bridges, two islands, two river banks: in 1700s Königsberg nobody could find a walk crossing each bridge exactly once. Euler didn't search harder, he… 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 Why turning a wobbly table can stop it rocking: the quarter-turn proof Your café table rocks. Before you wedge a folded napkin under a leg, try turning the whole table on the spot. On most floors, somewhere within a quarter-turn… Maths5 min read