The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets

English language

Published Dec. 30, 2013

ISBN:
978-1-62040-277-1
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4 stars (1 review)

The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets is a 2013 book by Simon Singh, which is based on the premise that "many of the writers of The Simpsons are deeply in love with numbers, and their ultimate desire is to drip-feed morsels of mathematics into the subconscious minds of viewers".The book compiles all the mathematical references used throughout the show's run, and analyzes them in detail. Rather than just explaining the mathematical concepts in the context of how they relate to the relevant episodes of The Simpsons, Singh "uses them as a starting point for lively discussions of mathematical topics, anecdotes and history". Topics covered include Fermat's Last Theorem, which Singh has written a popular book about, and Euler's identity. A chapter is dedicated to the "Homer3" segment from Treehouse of Horror VI, in which Homer finds himself in the third dimension (rendered with then-cutting edge computer graphics.) Singh points out …

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4 stars

This very quick read is neither complete (there are websites for that, referenced in the introduction) nor comprehensive (it can be sold to those without a math PhD). It was enjoyable.

Each chapter starts with a reference or three from the Simpsons (and later Futurama) then moves forward to explore the mathematical concept referenced (from Pi and Fermat to Topologies and Klein Bottles, with a side trip into Bill James and Erdos/Bacon Numbers). The explorations are necessarily brief. Singh also introduces the reason for all this math - the nerdy writers of both shows.