Interesting Math Links

Because I know that sometimes the mathematical content on this blog is a bit sparse, I have found two interesting math links for you to peruse. The first is a blog written by a professor in the math department at Northeastern University. Professor Bridger is an unpaid consultant for the popular television series Numb3rs, and he gets to review the scripts before they begin filming. The blog is mostly dedicated to Numb3rs episodes and a discussion of the math in each episode.

I'd have to say that Numb3rs is one of my favorite shows on television. I don't watch much TV, but if I see that Numb3rs is on, I will watch it. It's usually on at 10 p.m. Friday nights on CBS.

The premise of the show is that the younger brother of an FBI agent is a mathematician and he uses his math skills to help the FBI solve crimes. It's a mathematically accurate show. The writers take their inspiration from real-life cases solved using mathematics, and they employ many mathematics consultants to make sure that the math is right. Sometimes they go a bit overboard with gratuitous equations on the chalkbord that serve only to impress the television audience. But overall, the math content is very good and it serves to show people that math isn't just boring equations and esoteric theorems. Math is important and applicable.


The second math link is the website of actress/mathematician Danica McKellar. Ms. McKellar is probably best known for her portrayal of "Winnie" on "The Wonder Years," but she is also an accomplished mathematician. As an undergraduate math major at UCLA, she was the co-author of a mathematical proof. After college she continued her acting career, but she is still an advocate for math education and for women in mathematics. She's coming out with a book aimed at encouraging girls to pursue mathematical studies, entitled Math Doesn't Suck. For more details about her accomplishments, see this article.