A meter is shorter than a yard. An oz is heavier than a gram. We harmlessly combine them up typically, however a “unit conversion error” once you’re filling up the gas tanks of an airliner might be deadly. Which is strictly what occurred to Air Canada Flight 143.
Tim Harford talks to mathematician and comic Matt Parker about how the plane got here to take off with out the correct gas load, how nobody observed till it was too late, and why such errors give us an perception into simply how necessary maths is to holding our complicated world working because it ought to.
Cautionary Tales is written by me, Tim Harford, with Andrew Wright. It’s produced by Ryan Dilley, with help from Courtney Guarino and Emily Vaughn.
The sound design and authentic music is the work of Pascal Wyse. Julia Barton edited the scripts.
Because of the staff at Pushkin Industries, together with Mia Lobel, Jacob Weisberg, Heather Fain, Jon Schnaars, Carly Migliori, Eric Sandler, Emily Rostek, Royston Beserve, Maggie Taylor, Nicole Morano, Daniella Lakhan and Maya Koenig.
Additional studying and listening
Humble Pi by Matt Parker. Matt Parker’s YouTube channel is Standup Maths.
