A Problem Squared

Matt Parker, Bec Hill
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  • Comedy
  • Every two weeks

Matt Parker and Bec Hill present: A Problem Squared. A podcast dedicated to solving problems of all kinds, such as, "What should I listen to right now?". A Podcast Squared. First one's free. You're welcome. Episodes released twokly on Mondays.

  1. 14 hr ago

    140 = ABBABAAB and AI-Bah! 

    ⚽ What’s the fairest way to pick teams? 🤖 How do you discourage colleagues from using AI to write everything? 🚗 And this road trip is jeopardised by playing ‘Accelerator or Break?’ Thanks to all of you who sent in answers to “what are you doing while you’re listening to A Problem Squared?” - we go through as many as we possibly can in this episode! Here is kram1032’s post on Maths Stack Exchange that helped Matt with his problem solving: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/2078609/whats-the-fairest-turn-sequence-for-n-players  Here’s more info on Open Sauce: https://www.opensauce.com/ And here’s a kind stranger’s Insta reel of the Ratatouille robot: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DbGwSh4vHQq/  And here’s more info on UKIE: https://ukie.org.uk/  And the stream of Bec hosting the event: https://www.youtube.com/live/4lw_ypXroa4  Head to our BlueSky/Twitter/Instagram to see the U-Haul-Truck-Camera photo of Matt.  If you’re at the Edinburgh Fringe and would like to see Bec’s Work In Progress show, tickets are available here: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/bec-hill-s-work-in-progress  Matt has extended his tour - and he’s filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Want to pose a problem for Bec and Matt to solve? Head over to https://www.aproblemsquared.com/  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!    If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

  2. Trailer

    A Problem... Delayed

    There's no new episode of A Problem Squared this week - sorry everyone - but we will be back with your scheduled Episode 140 on MONDAY 10TH AUGUST 2026, and our normal twokly service will be resumed from MONDAY 17TH AUGUST 2026. We're delaying one episode by one week due to general busyness and time-zone clashes but rest assured you will be getting your full quota of August episodes of A Problem Squared. Thank you for your patience!

  3. 20 Jul

    139 = Music Down Where It’s Wetter and Throwing Darts Better

    🎺 What would standard instruments sound like if they were played under water? 🎯 What would be the average score of one randomly thrown dart? 📂 And there’s some Any Other Business.AOB.zip On THIS episode of A Problem Squared we’re joined by a special guest! The musical (and regularly quite wet) musical maestro Steve Pretty tells us all about playing music underwater - illustrated with some very bubbly examples. You can hear more from Steve on his podcast Origin Of The Pieces: https://www.originofthepieces.com/ and hear more from Steve playing shells here: https://www.shellectronica.com/  This is the episode of Steve Pretty’s Origin of the Pieces with Richard Sabin, whale expert and lead curator of mammals at the Natural History Museum, who shares sonic insights from the deep. https://www.originofthepieces.com/episodes/episode-31-earwax-echoes-and-entropy To find out more about Aquasonic, the ethereal underwater quintet, head here: https://www.betweenmusic.dk/aquasonic  Here is the full Hermeto Pascoal video in all its glory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZbfNtDCHdM  And here’s the video of a hydraulophone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgU0OZkGhGI  World Darts Federation Playing and Tournament Rules for all the specifications used in Matt’s working out: https://dartswdf.com/storage/uploads/fb05b306-c92c-4f08-b512-affb092a1b3d/2018-02-28_WDF_Playing_and_Tournament_Rules_rev20.pdf  The fabulously detailed Data Genetics blog post on where to aim on a dart board to maximise point-scoring - A Geek Plays Darts: http://www.datagenetics.com/blog/january12012/index.html  Here’s more about the (excellent) book that Bec shouted out: Gemma Correll - Anxietyland https://www.gemmacorrell.com/  If you’d like to see Bec’s Work In Progress shows, her upcoming gigs can be found here: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs Matt has extended his tour - and he’s filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!   If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

  4. 6 Jul

    138 = Crossword Panels and Crossing Channels

    📝 What is the perfect arrangement of black squares in a crossword? 🚣 Does weight on an aqueduct increase as a boat goes over it? 🛟 And there’s some Any Other Boardness (not ‘boredness’) Head to our BlueSky/Twitter/Instagram to see some crossword arrangements and some cross-bridge arrangements. Michael Keith’s Crossword research paper: http://www.gathering4gardner.org/g4g16gift/KeithMichael-GiftExchange-CrosswordGrids-G4G16.pdf  Michael Keith’s Pilish book, Not A Wake: https://www.cadaeic.net/notawake.htm  If you’d like to see Bec’s Work In Progress shows, her upcoming gigs can be found here: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs Matt is bringing An Evening of Unnecessary Detail to New York! The Bell House, Brooklyn on Sunday 12th July. Tickets can be found here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064B84CCCF567 And Matt has extended his tour - and he’s filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!   If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

  5. 22 Jun

    137 = Sound Advice and Electron Price

    👂Why do some people hate the sound of whispering? 💡 How much does an electron cost? 😎 And there’s some Any Other Bozoness On THIS episode of A Problem Squared - which comes with our special No Whisper Guarantee - we’re joined by a special guest! The clinical psychologist Dr Jane Gregory tells us all about Misophonia. You can find out about her fantastic (and very helpful) book Sounds Like Misophonia, and you can sign up to her research mailing list here: https://soundslikemisophonia.com/  And here is Ava’s EPIC Spreadsheet - A Problem Squared Episode Catalogue: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nXmEH9BrCr6hEBBhHkfuciPEKimDgZjrwhi2oeyErog/edit?usp=sharing If you’d like to see Bec’s Work In Progress shows, her upcoming gigs can be found here: https://www.bechillcomedian.com/tour-gigs Matt is bringing An Evening of Unnecessary Detail to New York! The Bell House, Brooklyn on Sunday 12th July. Tickets can be found here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064B84CCCF567 And Matt has extended his tour - and he’s filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!   If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

  6. 8 Jun

    136 = How to Discuss The Number e and When to Disclose the "Real Me"

    #️⃣ What’s the best way to explain the number e to an 8-year-old? 💗 How early in a relationship should you reveal that you’re a bit weird? 🤧 And there’s some any other blow-your-nose-ness Head to our socials to see The Beautiful Old Calculator and The World’s Tallest Comedian. Matt is bringing An Evening of Unnecessary Detail to New York! The Bell House, Brooklyn on Sunday 12th July. Tickets can be found here: https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/300064B84CCCF567 Matt has extended his tour - and he’s filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!   If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

  7. 25 May

    135 = Pasta Water Solution and QR Code Substitution

    🍝 Why do we put salt in pasta water? 👾 Can you put bespoke characters in to a QR Code? 🌼And Spring Has Sprung (in the UK) so there’s some Any Other Bloomsness Head to our socials to see some frankly-very-silly-but-fully-operational QR Codes. Boiling and Freezing Points of Pure and Salty Water https://van.physics.illinois.edu/ask/listing/1457 Matt has extended his tour - and filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!   If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

  8. 11 May

    134 = Tooth and Rock Day 2026

    🤘To mark the May Birthday of Dwayne 'The' 'Tooth Fairy' 'Rock' Johnson, Episode 134 is a Tooth and Rock Special! 🪨 Matt answers your rock-based queries and shares a Salt of the Perth update 🦷 Bec and Dentist Sophie answer your tooth-based queries and shares an Adult Tooth Fairy update Head to our socials to look at some incredibly detailed Salt of the Perth imagery. And relatedly… Lead Explained: https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/-/media/ScottishWater/Document-Hub/Factsheets-and-Leaflets/Factsheets/100620SWFactSheet72020v5web.pdf Thallium in Salt Substitutes: A Possible Health Hazard: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0013935177900433 And here’s Matt’s Moving Mountains sources: https://ourworldindata.org/energy-production-consumption https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/courses/eosc350/content/foundations/properties/density.htm Matt has extended his tour - and filming the show in London in October - all the dates, venues and tickets can be found here: http://standupmaths.com/shows  Join us on Patreon for early releases and our monthly bonus podcast I’m A Wizard! If you’re already on Patreon and have a creative Wizard offer to give Bec and Matt, please comment on our pinned post!   If you want to (we’re not forcing anyone) please do leave us a review, share the podcast with a friend, or give us a rating! Please do that. It really helps.  Finally, if you want even more from A Problem Squared you can connect with us and other listeners on BlueSky, Twitter, Instagram, and on Discord.

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Trailer

Hosts & Guests

About

Matt Parker and Bec Hill present: A Problem Squared. A podcast dedicated to solving problems of all kinds, such as, "What should I listen to right now?". A Podcast Squared. First one's free. You're welcome. Episodes released twokly on Mondays.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Parker, Bec Hill
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    144
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Matt Parker, Bec Hill
  • Show Website
    A Problem Squared

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