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Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics in the news and in life.

Radio 4,685 episodes

Episodes

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Can China’s GDP data be trusted?
Are China’s most recent figures for economic growth wrong?
29 Oct 2022,8 mins
Do half of new books really sell fewer than twelve copies?
We look into a claim that 50% of new books in the US sell just a handful of copies.
22 Oct 2022,8 mins
Ben Bernanke and the magic of banking
Tim Harford explains the work of this year’s Nobel Economics Prize winners
15 Oct 2022,10 mins
Catching Chess Cheats with Data
A cheating scandal is rocking the world of chess - and data is at its heart
08 Oct 2022,8 mins
Teens and antidepressants, stamp duty savings and earthquake probabilities
We debunk a claim that a third of British teenagers have been prescribed antidepressants
07 Oct 2022,28 mins
NASA’s asteroid collision: how many asteroids are really out there?
As NASA rams an asteroid to try and alter its course, how many are yet to be discovered?
01 Oct 2022,9 mins
Falling pound, the Queen’s funeral and is 0.5 on the Richter scale a big number?
How worried should we be about the steep falls in the pound?
28 Sep 2022,29 mins
Ukraine’s progress in numbers
We ask how much progress Ukraine has really made in recapturing territory from Russia.
24 Sep 2022,10 mins
Ukraine offensive, weak pound & how much do women really exercise
We ask how much progress Ukraine has really made in recapturing territory from Russia
22 Sep 2022,28 mins
How bad is fashion for the environment?
Does fashion really account for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions?
17 Sep 2022,8 mins
Energy crisis plan, imperial measures survey, gardens v national parks
How much will the UK government’s plan to limit energy price rises end up costing?
14 Sep 2022,28 mins
Is a third of Pakistan really under water?
We investigate a widely reported claim as Pakistan deals with devastating flooding
10 Sep 2022,8 mins
Pakistan flooding, UK power prices and Boris’s broadband claim
The scale of the disaster is huge, but is a third of Pakistan really under water?
07 Sep 2022,28 mins
Can we use maths to beat the robots?
Why improving how we teach and think about maths could help us keep an edge over machines
03 Sep 2022,8 mins
Energy prices, excess deaths and the race to count to 200
Is there an easy way to cut soaring energy bills?
31 Aug 2022,28 mins
Kenya’s Election Rounding Error
Official figures didn’t add up - but due to rounding, not fraud.
27 Aug 2022,8 mins
The numbers behind “natural” birth control
We examine online claims about the effectiveness of “natural” birth control methods
20 Aug 2022,9 mins
Is opinion polling broken?
Following some high profile slip-ups in recent US elections, is opinion polling broken?
13 Aug 2022,8 mins
Debunking the Liverpool FC Conspiracy Theory
We debunk spurious rumours that Liverpool FC use asthma medication to enhance performance
06 Aug 2022,8 mins
How our world measures up
From ancient tally bones to a jar of peanut butter, a look at the history of measurement
30 Jul 2022,8 mins
Does the World Athletics Championships have a false start problem?
We examine the rules and tech of false starts after the disqualification of Devon Allen.
23 Jul 2022,10 mins
Is Uganda about to become a middle income country?
We assess President Museveni’s claim that Uganda is nearing a higher economic status.
16 Jul 2022,10 mins
Does it take 10,000 litres of water to make a pair of jeans?
The numbers behind water use and denim production
09 Jul 2022,10 mins
How many American women will have an abortion in their lifetime?
In the wake of the historic overturning of Roe vs Wade, we look at the statistics.
02 Jul 2022,9 mins
Covid climb, childcare costs and why can’t the French count properly?
How accurately are official figures picking up the new covid wave?
29 Jun 2022,29 mins
Ed Sheeran and the mathematics of musical coincidences
Ed Sheeran thinks that musical coincidences will always happen… but do the numbers agree?
25 Jun 2022,11 mins
Rail strikes, tyre pollution and sex statistics
Do rail workers really earn £13,000 a year more than nurses?
22 Jun 2022,28 mins
How often do people have sex?
Looking at sex and statistics in Japan and America.
18 Jun 2022,8 mins
Maternity litigation, stars, bees and windowless planes
Are damages for maternity mistakes now more than wages for maternity nurses and doctors?
15 Jun 2022,28 mins
Hannah Fry: Understanding the numbers of cancer
The maths professor on the choices she and others have faced after a cancer diagnosis
11 Jun 2022,10 mins