Homer Simpson vs Pierre de Fermat - Numberphile

Simpsons Book: amzn.to/1fKe4Yo -- Main Fermat Theorem video: • Fermat's Last Theorem ... -- Water Ballons: • Science of Water Ballo...
More links & stuff in full description below ↓↓↓
Author Simon Singh on Fermat's Last Theorem in popular culture, especially The Simpsons.
Also mentioning Al Jean and David X Cohen.
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[@WarpRulez]

When will we see a video on pancake flipping?

[@addison_reilly5904]

^

[@eilivmoi6153]

3master o

[@randommay1261]

WarpRulez YOU SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT BEING FROM THE FUTURE

[@sachinsahay1113]

1:23 there is also an attempt at breaking topology at the bottom

[@whahala555]

Sachin Sahay Nice catch!

[@idontunderstandjokes8308]

Sachin Sahay too bad it wasn’t REAL.

[@lucareale6717]

thats Poincaré's conjecture, isn't it?

[@asheep7797]

Homerlogy.

[@egalomon]

Simon might just have the most beautiful handwriting of all the Numberphile guests

[@reecesweet6349]

egalomon Hes a writer. It makes sense.

[@MagisterMalleus]

"Doing a troll" I love you Brady.

[@fortytwo6257]

+Badatstuff I thought he said "being" a troll, haha

[@benjaminbrady2385]

The Drüid lol

[@ctrl-alt-tutor5587]

He definitely said "Being a troll."

[@ThatChemistOld]

I had my own near miss solution with a^3 + b^3 = c^3 where a=242, b=720, and c=729. So close, yet so far away

[@PeterGeras]

starreactor Again, only because of the odd-even properties ;)

[@bengtbengt3850]

Haha you were 1 away from being right with that near miss solution (729^3 - (242^3 + 720^3) = 1)

[@imaddictedtoyoutubeshorts]

+Bengt Bengt 1^3 + 1^3 = 1^3 also near-miss tho XD

[@terz4255]

Pius Pambudi actually not because x, y and z must be different numbers

[@Ulkomaalainen]

I've never seen the stipulation that they need to be. It is easily provable that they cannot be - in a^n+b^n=c^n (a, b, c, n all integer; a, b, c >=1; n>2) c obviously needs to be larger than both a and b, since otherwise you would add something positive to a number and it would stay the same. But also a and b have to be different, because if a=b, then a^n+b^n=a^n+a^n=2*a^n=c^n. Taking the n-th root, we's get (n-th root of 2)*a=c, but since both a and c must be integers but the n-th root of 2 isn't even rational, this simply is not possible.

[@laughy38247357075834]

I wish that mathematics wasn't taught so dully and uninterestingly in our culture. math is an art and we should be emphasizing the importance of math more than anything

[@sam2026]

Math isn't an art. That's what makes it so great.

[@monus782]

Well, the best way to do it is to do away with the more utilitarian mindset behind education, after all technically most stuff we get taught can be considered to be "useless" and it's not just us liberal arts majors who can be looked down upon as knowing "useless" stuff. What is useless info anyways? I think how you answer the question can tell about your mentality behind this question, if your meaning of life is making money then only some business majors and most engineering careers are useful studying.

[@omikronweapon]

Perhaps because of these two answers? The one side is very strict and says: "shouldn't treat it as an art at all", lets keep the classes dull. and the other goes of on an extreme tangent, preferring to attempt to answer broad/philosophical questions, rather than tackle it practically. I'm not sure it IS about the "importance", but simply, appealing to students. Everything CAN be important, but if it isn't being taught in a way that people will (want to) apply it, it's still not useful. Personally from highschool, I remember endless equations of things like: solve (x+4)(x-12)=0 While, now, I realize I'd love to solve stuff like that, back then I just couldnt get the hang of it, by ONLY having the dry, stuffy, equation. What's the purpose? What is this solving, in real life? Can I get a handle on it that takes it OUT of the theoretical and gives me some insight, rather than just having to crunch numbers again and again. Perhaps ironically, when I see people like Matt Parker, I get excited about it, and want to learn. All it takes, for me, is to have it presented in a fun way that makes me want to come back for more. Maybe it's the teachers? Most I've had didn't make the lessons very fun or engaging. Some did. The books didn't really help, they had SOME humor and real-life experiences in it, but they were the lame kind. "Alice and Bernard walked up to their friend Charles". Clearly just to describe points A,B,C. More pedantic than appealing.

[@andrewwong2399]

how is math an art

[@danphillips8530]

Says you

[@Things2doBeforeIdie]

did anyone notice that the first equation that Homer writes is also a very close approximation of mass of Higgs Boson ? and that episode aired way before we proved the existence of higgs boson

[@woobilicious.]

@Xenon Creed it was predicted by Higgs 🤦‍♂️ the guy the particle is named after.

[@du42bz]

@@woobilicious. 🤣

[@jasanborn9700]

Just came back here to visit another Parker Square solution to Fermat's last theorem.

[@sujimtangerines]

I literally only read the comments to see if someone referenced Parker for that almost-solution for Fermat's theorem.

[@4grammaton]

This whole phenomenon of serious mathematics being referenced in light entertainment reminds me of Charles Dodgson's mathematical references in "Alice in Wonderland", although mathematics plays a much more central role in his book than it does in the Simpsons. Actually, here's a good idea for Numberphile, assuming they haven't already done it: Do an episode on maths in "Alice in Wonderland" (and "Through the Looking Glass")!

[@largesatsuma]

Another example would be Rowan Atkinson who studied engineering at university.

[@DavidAndrewsPEC]

+Slim Charles Indeed, and his long-time side-kick Ben Miller - who studied physics.

[@joshuahadams]

Is that how he put on shorts without taking off is trousers?

[@stevenvanhulle7242]

Yes. It's a topological problem.

[@Catishcat]

1782^12+1841^12=1922^12 It actually equals to 1921,999999955...^12 ._. VEEEEERY close

[@MCMaterac]

Yup, not bad. 8730^12 + 7974^12 ≈ 8944^12 is closer, though. (8944.00000001412-8944)/8944 ≈ 1.58e-12 (1921.999999955-1922)/1922 ≈ -2.34e-11

[@MCMaterac]

or better: 48767^4 + 24576^4 ≈ 49535^4 or e.g. 89,970^3+8,999^3 ≈ 90,000^3 and 90,000^3+9001^3 ≈ 90,030^3

[@aus3492]

My attempt 0000^12+0000^12 =0000^12.... Fricken math.. no idea what I'm doing but that equation checks out as far as I'm concerned.

[@MCMaterac]

@Sandra Braithwaite Sure. That was for fun.

[@peterjurich7045]

The real solution is 3987^12 + 4365^12 = 4472^11 X 4472.00000008

[@nimbuskhannk627]

The reason these are being dropped into the episodes is not because mathematicians-turned-into-comedy-witers want to make a nod at their alternate occupation. It is because they are very effective comedy writers. They write comedy for ALL intellectual levels. That's the beauty of the series and the probable reason it has survived as long as it has. Trailer Park Joe laughs at the bodily function jokes, Office Jack reads the humor in popular culture spoofs and Science Peter gets a kick out of why would a 10 year-old have a Kasparov lunch box. Case in point: The "faux solution" to Fermat's Last Theorem is a very effective bit of comedy (...even if buried almost as an Easter-egg...) because, under the show's logic and being Homer who he "is", had he - by some divine intervention - really turned into a researcher, Dr. Simpson being convinced he reached the actual theorem solution via a false proposition would be the kind of elevated blunder, leading to all sort of problems, he most certainly would be involved in.

[@earllemongrab1329]

To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand the Simpsons. The humour is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of mathematics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer’s head. There’s also Bart’s nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation- his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realise that they’re not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike the Simpsons truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the humour in Homer’s existential catchphrase “D’oh,” which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev’s Russian epic Fathers and Sons. I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Al Jean’s genius wit unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools.. how I pity them. 😂 And yes, by the way, i DO have a Simpsons tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for the ladies’ eyes only- and even then they have to demonstrate that they’re within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand. Nothin personnel kid 😎

[@k-leb4671]

There are two kinds of people.

[@blacktimhoward4322]

Anybody care what this guy thinks? NO!

[@sebfox2194]

To be fair, it could be for both of those reasons, as they are not mutually exclusive.

[@bradleywalker8642]

It's Anatoly Karpov on the lunchbox, not Garry Kasparov.

[@unidorsalicosahedron7416]

Just want to say how thankful I am that he wrote that book. It got me back my long lost and burning passion for maths, and lifted me out of a long and horrible depression. It reminded me that life can be exciting, and actually worth living.

[@Achukanjosh]

Yeah that's the spirit. Dont let others control your life. You know I had gone through the same circumstance.

[@evanjmiller72]

Really love these Simon videos. He should come back and do more!

[@numberphile]

you think he wrote a book about the Simpsons, met the writers (of both shows) and did nothing about Futurama! Stay tuned for more (or buy his book!)

[@CollegeSista]

Amazing video, I love this Simpsons, Math, and Science.

[@arunsinghal9839]

I have another problem with no solution; how do you get a USB to fit properly on the first try?

[@pablossjui]

+Arun Singhal you can, but It's hard to explain on text xD

[@liamdienemann8937]

+Arun Singhal the answer lies in elliptic curves

[@IImagnumalucardII]

+Arun Singhal I have the solution...but the whole data that can fit on the Internet is too little to fit it inside

[@diggitydingdong]

the side with the USB symbol will always be the top side. also i know this is late but it is worth mentioning

[@arunsinghal9839]

[GD] Unearth not if it's sideways

[@fabricepoirette3328]

Great video. Thanks for sharing that. I have just bought Simon Singh's book and cannot wait to read it!

[@cpbostrom]

My new favourite Numberphile video! Thanks guys.

[@sonkew826]

a near miss of the order of 10^30. i wish i could do that in my physics exams!

[@AQGOAT24]

Man that is a really clever reference. Props to the Simpsons writers.

[@iAmReallyMorganFreeman]

Man I love Numberphile!! You should upload way more!

[@Hiimstring3]

I'll defiantly be buying this book, sounds like very interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing this Brady.

[@kanojo1969]

One of the reasons you see stuff like the 'Karpov' joke in The Simpsons is that they are willing let a joke be missed by most viewers. Most TV shows are controlled to the tiniest detail and a reference to something so arcane would be seen as a weakness that needs to be sent around the writers' room again. The Simpsons *used* to be novel in that they would put tons of mini-gags into the show that wouldn't be noticed at all by 99% of those watching. These days everyone does it of course.

[@numberphile]

If you want the brown paper from this video there is a link in the vid description (it is just another way to help support our videos - but the best thing you can do is just watch us and share with friends!!!)

[@onecanina]

I am currently reading his book on Fermat last theorem that coincidently I both a day before you uploaded the video. Love the channel Brady, thank you! Loving the book also! Highly recommended

[@Tomswift1234]

Absolutely brilliant! I love this channel!

[@ncktbs]

futurama is an even better example

[@Paradeoxy]

"This is a solution." "A solution? That's problematic!" I love mathematicians :')

[@stegwise]

great job brady, thanks to you and everyone providing great content on these channels. love your work, keep it up. i feel that you and the people who follow you are the next great generation of educators. far, far, more engaging than the average university professor, you bring us the great communicators of knowledge.

[@Mathsnerd3125]

I loves the article you wrote in the newspaper about this :D it was great

[@VaterOrlaag]

He underestimates modern phone calculators.

[@MCMaterac]

True. Most even those simple ones (including mine) use 52bits of precision. 204290^3 + 146996^3 = 227033^3 does the trick, though.

[@MrMoneyclips]

futurama has many more math jokes in it and David X Cohen comments on every single episode on the DVDs. RIP Futurama :(

[@mikecunningham4682]

Loving the new logo Brady! Congrats on another great video, too.

[@shawnwhiteshair]

Love this channel.

[@DiaStarvy]

Fermat's Last Theorem applies for n = 0 (trivially) and n < -2 as well. You can find general solutions for n = -1 and n = -2 near the bottom of Wikipedia's article for Fermat's Last Theorem.

[@JasmineJu]

"When you can't get a job in mathematics, you find a job in arts" Phew.

[@camelCaseFTW]

this stuff is amazing

[@Escarii66]

Saw your article in the Independent the other day, great read!

[@exscape]

It's off by about 10^33 :-)

[@TimothyReeves]

exscape less than one part per billion then

[@mfacktor]

Is this the episode where Homer makes the Lazy Man Reclining Toilet Chair?

[@replayview2011]

yep, then accidentally leaves it in the Thomas Edison museum, and Edison gets credited for it.

[@254kvistas6]

Edison invented it, Homer just stole the idea

[@orktv4673]

Ah thanks! Feels satisfying finally knowing how it's called. Being a mystery is one, but not knowing what that mystery is called makes it extra difficult.

[@west3366]

I really enjoy this guy, please more!

[@monztar85]

I only came because KZbin recommended it and because I read Homer Simpson....

[@dgurung3468]

Saw this joke on the Simpsons yesterday : √-1 2^3 sum of (Sigma) Pi And it was delicious What does it mean ??

[@sassypenguin723]

D Gurung i ate some pie...and it was delicious

[@dgurung3468]

Haha! Thanks

[@jakepreston6034]

+D Gurung √-1 = imaginary number, denoted by letter 'i' = I 2^3 = 8 = eight = ate sum = some of = of Pi = pie ... And it was delicious I assume the words "sum" and "of" are not supposed to be there because that's what the sigma is for. :)

[@rerrezedd5860]

I ate some pie

[@bengoodwin2141]

D Gurung i 8 some pi aka I ate some Pie

[@iulianmuresanu]

Great stuff!

[@tombweisner]

these 3 from this guy have been very good!

[@mbanana23456]

It's impossible you say? We'll see about that

[@bosebucks375]

the Pythagorean theorem, anyone?

[@carloffoti7527]

***** Men it says for n>2, and is allways proven when x+y>z.

[@polythenepan]

You guys should definitely do a video on the futurama theorem

[@305thView]

Great video! thanks

[@dermeister1957]

I'm wondering : am I the only one who's bad at math but enjoys numberphile ?

[@numberphile]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJaygmZmZaaWibc

[@benjaminprzybocki7391]

+Zero Ryoko It's a^n+b^n=c^n for positive a, b, and c. 0 doesn't count because it isn't positive (it's neither positive nor negative).

[@nikhilpendurkar9464]

j

[@LordBax]

I put forward another recommendation to Simon's book, I've read his stuff before and he is an excellent popular maths writer.

[@SubSecure]

Oh, I remember reading this article in the newspaper!

[@SteveGouldinSpain]

rd r r

[@nado100]

hardy harr harr, get it?

[@malikrath9503]

Hey Bert!, where's Ernie?

[@aL3891_]

Brady you really really need to make a video (series) on the math and science of futurama :) dave and the others really packed em in there:)

[@MrAwesomesize]

Please do more videos with Simon!

[@DesViper]

The theorem just skips the easy one. 3^2+4^2= 5^2 => 9 + 16 = 25 => 25=25 The theorem has to has n>2 just to skip this one.

[@samcroswell2386]

Also the other easy one x^0 + y^0 = Z^0

[@Miju001]

Sam Crosswell, Nope, 1+1 is not equal to 1. You're probably thinking of 0^n+0^n=0^n.

[@codelabspro]

If you were really smart, you wouldn't need to be a mathematician to know that Simpsons isn't providing a "solution" to Fermat's Last Theorem, rather he was trying to DISPROVE Fermat's Last Theorem. It seems NPR and Singh have trouble with basic semantic logic.

[@woutgevaert4864]

I also like the transition of the torus into a sphere on the bottom of the blackboard

[@MichaelPomeroyinmauritania]

hey brady, I like the explanation of the other vids at the end. good thought.

[@theonesean]

I like Simon Singh. He's well spoken and has a very cool presentation style. More please!

[@bikramkalsi1]

V nice video .. Thumbs up for Brady .. Awesome man!

[@thelastviolinist12]

Thanks for clearing that up.

[@JakeStephensMrJakeStephens]

David is a wonderful writer for what was Futurama. Great show

[@goodbye_galaxy]

I'm surprised you haven't had a numberphile about e yet. It's a fascinating number that I'm sure you could delve quite deeply into. Euler's Identity would be another excellent (and related) topic.

[@taffysaur]

Cohen and a few other writers put a lot of great maths jokes in Futurama, too. Not that I'm smart enough to get those, but they had a great featurette on one of the DVD sets explaining some of them for laymen like I.

[@gnosomai]

So that's mr Singh! Loved his code book.

[@jetx998]

This guy is doing a talk at my school! Can't wait!

[@merloon]

The required followup video to this one would probably be too long to post, but I'm pretty sure it would be epic: a similar examination of the Simpson's sister show, Futurama. which had many of the same people on staff, and more nerdcrumbs than I can count.

[@dangerjack2027]

Love the Mohawk

[@bmaw604]

Cool vid thanksss

[@TheMyndskapeProject]

Great video as always Brady. Anyone else see Simon's striking resemblance to Maynard James Keenan?

[@OperatingPear80]

loved that book, so interesting

[@davidl98717]

Love The Simpsons math references. Can you do session on the mathematics that show up in Futurama or for other shows where math references are made?

[@aglees2b]

More Simon Singh!

[@numberphile]

thanks!

[@andrewshort6440]

In fact, you can use a compressor on your master channel with a high ratio which will keep your levels under the threshold level you set (also on the compressor), and you can crank up the gain (also on the compressor) so that the levels are as loud as desired. Nice and simple auto leveler.

[@keefebaby]

Yeay I picked up on it being wrong without using my calculator, because I saw in one of your excellent videos before about staying even or odd, quite pleased with that

[@Dave__AC]

I preordered his book after the last video, hopefully it's like this

[@laloo444]

You should do a video on Simpson's paradox!

[@Holayoish]

PLEASE do a video on the maths involved in pancake flipping!!!

[@rngwrldngnr]

Because of the narrower focus of the show, there are more opportunities for the creative team to play on Futurama, and you see more math references there. The most notable is probably the novel and rigorous proof about the mathematics of body swapping in "The Prisoner of Benda".

[@brettplayford9808]

Brilliant video Brady, aussie pride++ Would love to see a compilation video of mathematical nods from the Simpsons. I wish I could make it my self.

[@CahDe1]

Also plays a decent role in The Girl Who Played with Fire and I believe the last novel too.

[@bigboam]

I'm really likin' this dude. More please.

[@kwanarchive]

You should also do a video on the mathematical problem solved by Ken Keeler (mentioned in this video) as a writer for Futurama.

[@Deathbreak911]

Yep. Died this year (for the second time). RIP best show on television.

[@daniel39]

Please do a video on Futurama!

[@StevenLaporte]

In the The Farnsworth Parabox (Futurama) one of the boxes containing parallel universes has the Hardy-Ramanujan number.

[@Tomwithnonumbers]

I love the devolving the Torus into a filled circle =D

[@BareClause]

I also find it very surprising that there hasn't been a video on the sine, cosine, and other trigonometric functions, and their marvelous relationship with i, the imaginary number, and e.

[@Ivanskywaker]

David X Cohen is the cocreator of Futurama along with Matt Groening, and that series is full with numbers and science references in each episode, you should do a numberphile episode about that, I´m sure most of the people you interview are big fans of it, and they can speak lots of those references that we dont get.

[@SaraBearRawr0312]

no problem, they did an episode on it a few weeks ago if youd like to know more actually.

[@PinkChucky15]

I love that so many people on one of my favorite shows love math so much too :-)

[@ElegantEnsue]

Haha I love the donuts used in the first appearance in the simpsons, to represent the elliptic curves used in the actual proof!

[@theoriginalKland]

I understand how bases work, I was just thinking along the lines of how base 12 sometimes gives whole decimals instead of repeating ones (when calculated in base 10).