Look around you.
(INAUDIBLE)
Just look around you.
Have you worked out what we're looking for?
Correct. The answer is...
This programme, "Maths",
is discussed in chapter 3.1415926 of your textbook,
which accompanies this series.
Please ensure you have your copybook at hand,
as you'll be asked to take down notes from the screen
at various points throughout the programme.
What's the largest number you can think of?
Erm...100,000?
999,000.
A million.
In actual fact, it's neither of these.
The largest number is about 45 billion,
although mathematicians suspect there may be even larger numbers.
With so many different numbers to deal with, it can get confusing.
Unless you use maths.
Maths stands for Mathematical Anti-Telharsic Harfatum Septomin.
Think of it as the language of numbers,
with 1 equalling "A",
2 equalling "The", 3 equalling "Hello" and so on.
We use maths at almost every point of the day,
whether we're working out how to thread our shoelaces,
calculating the optimal moment
at which to embark upon a conversation,
or, if you can fly,
planning your trajectory for the journey to work.
(WHOOSH)
(WHISTLING)
But some situations require a much more thorough application of maths.
Let's look at some examples.
Have your pen and paper ready.
Jean is shorter than Brutus, but taller than Imhotep.
Imhotep is taller than Jean, but shorter than Lord Scotland.
Lord Scotland is twice the height of Jean and Brutus combined,
but only a tenth of the height of Millsy.
Millsy is at a constant height of x-y.
If Jean stands exactly one nautical mile away from Lord Scotland,
how tall is Imhotep?
We'll reveal the answers at the end of the programme.
Take a look at this equation.
It's known as cDonald's Theorem.
If we plot its graph, we arrive at this unusual shape.
A uniformly curved line that somehow joins up with itself
that science has yet to find a name for.
Can you think of a name for it?
If you can,
the Royal Mathematics Society would like to hear from you.
They hold a competition each year to find a name for this figure.
The final takes place in Nottingham on April the 4th of September.
And you could win your school this computerised toast system.
So good luck.
Eight ladies go into eight shops at 8 o'clock in the morning.
Each lady wants to buy eight spiders.
For each spider, eight spider shoes must also be bought.
But they only have L8 between them.
With each spider costing 8 pence
and each spider shoe costing 1/8 pence each,
will the ladies have enough change for the bus home,
a journey costing 8 pence per stop and made up of eight stops?
Write down your answer, and we'll see how well you did later on.
A pencil case.
To the modern maths student, it's his toolbox,
containing all the instruments necessary
to carry out his calculations.
Let's take a look inside.
Have your copybooks ready.
A pencil case wouldn' t be a pencil case without these.
Pencils.
Here's a protractor.
A ruler.
A pair of compasses.
Razor blades.
A calculator.
And this.
It's like a nougat, which, when chewed,
stimulates the brain and improves mental agility.
Garry Gum does have some side effects,
for instance diarrhoea, so you may need to take some of this.
Write that down in your copybook now.
For this problem, you'll need to set your calculator to '"Maths".
It's the future,
and Queen Elizabeth III and Queen Elizabeth IV are going to a party
held by Queen Elizabeth V.
It's important that they choose their outfits carefully.
Queen Elizabeth III has 40 dresses to choose from,
whereas Queen Elizabeth IV has 4,000.
Queen Elizabeth V has just one dress,
but it has the ability to transform itself into the shape of any dress.
The night before the party,
Queen Elizabeth IV's handmaiden
steals the patterns to Queen Elizabeth III's dresses,
and makes 40 exact replicas.
Can you calculate the probability that all three queens
will be wearing the same dress at the party?
And how many times can Queen Elizabeth V's dress change
before it overheats?
(SIZZLING)
That's the last of your problems.
You now have a few more seconds to finalise your calculations
while the following film plays.
(ANGRY MEOWING)
Here are the answers to all your problems.
Problem one, Imhotep is invisible.
Problem two, the ladies were 8 pence short.
(SIREN)
And problem three, the party was cancelled.
Now hand in your copybooks to your teacher or head of class.
In the next programme, we will look at cosmetics.